How uranium and other swallowed metals can change gut immunity
Mechanisms of Modulation of Gut Immunity by Ingested Uranium and Mixed Metal Exposures
This work looks at whether uranium and mixed metals people might swallow change immune cells and tissue in the gut, especially for communities near mine sites.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of New Mexico Health Scis Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Albuquerque, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11124918 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
This project studies how metals from mine sites, especially uranium and vanadium alone or mixed with arsenic, affect the gut immune system using mice and human cells and tissue samples. Researchers give metals by oral routes in different chemical forms and compare effects in the small and large intestines, measuring changes in immune and epithelial cells and gene expression. They also test real environmental mine samples and study interactions between metals. The effort links animal experiments with human-derived tissues and community-focused sampling to better reflect exposures near New Mexico mines.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants would be community members with potential oral exposure to mine-derived metals (for example people near New Mexico mine sites) who can provide health information or biospecimens.
Not a fit: People without any history of metal exposure or whose conditions are unrelated to environmental metal contact are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could help protect people living near contaminated sites by identifying how metal exposures harm gut immunity and guiding monitoring, prevention, or treatments.
How similar studies have performed: Earlier Phase 1 work showed that 45-day oral uranium exposure in mice produced marked changes in intestinal immune and epithelial cells, and this project expands that work to mixed metals and human tissues.
Where this research is happening
Albuquerque, United States
- University of New Mexico Health Scis Ctr — Albuquerque, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Castillo, Eliseo F — University of New Mexico Health Scis Ctr
- Study coordinator: Castillo, Eliseo F
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 below.