How the gut protein DRA helps repair the bowel lining
Official title: A Novel Role of Apical Chloride Transporter (DRA) in Mucosal Tissue Repair
Funded at Jesse Brown VA Medical Center · NIH-11206888 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are looking at whether the protein DRA helps the intestines heal better in people with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Jesse Brown VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2024 |
| Project end | September 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX006626-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11206888 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis, especially those with frequent flares or poor mucosal healing, are the most likely to benefit from findings of this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without inflammatory bowel disease or those whose symptoms are due to infections or non-inflammatory causes are unlikely to gain direct benefit.
What this research studies
This project focuses on a gut protein called DRA that moves chloride and appears important for lining repair in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Scientists use mice that lack DRA and induce colitis to watch how the colon heals or fails to heal. They analyze gene activity with RNA sequencing and Nanostring, examine mitochondria by electron microscopy, and measure cellular energy and related proteins to find what breaks down when DRA is missing. The work aims to reveal pathways that could be targeted to improve mucosal recovery in people with IBD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to boost bowel lining healing and reduce relapses in Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal and lab studies have linked DRA loss to increased gut permeability and microbiome changes, so this project builds on promising preclinical data while adding new gene and mitochondrial analyses.
Where this research is happening
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Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
Chicago, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kumar, Anoop — Jesse Brown VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Kumar, Anoop
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.