Individual cell analysis of diabetes-related slow stomach emptying
Single-cell epigenomics and transcriptomics of diabetic gastroparesis in humans
The team compares individual stomach and blood immune cells from people with and without diabetes who have upper‑GI symptoms to find how diabetes contributes to slow stomach emptying.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Rochester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11144379 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have upper‑GI symptoms like nausea, bloating, or early fullness, researchers will measure your symptoms, blood glucose, and gastric emptying and collect blood and small stomach biopsy samples. They will examine gene activity and epigenetic marks in single stomach pacemaker cells (ICC) and immune cells, and in single circulating immune cells (PBMCs). The project compares people with diabetes to similar people without diabetes to link cellular changes to stomach emptying and glucose control. About 45 carefully characterized patients will be included and their samples analyzed ex vivo with single‑cell methods.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with diabetes or without diabetes who experience upper gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, bloating, early satiety, or documented delayed gastric emptying would be the intended participants.
Not a fit: People without upper‑GI symptoms or those unwilling to undergo blood draws or a small stomach biopsy are unlikely to benefit directly from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to specific cellular or immune targets for treatments that address the cause of diabetic gastroparesis rather than just symptoms.
How similar studies have performed: Single‑cell transcriptomic and epigenomic approaches have revealed disease mechanisms in other inflammatory and GI conditions, but applying them to diabetic gastroparesis is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Rochester, United States
- Mayo Clinic Rochester — Rochester, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bharucha, Adil E. — Mayo Clinic Rochester
- Study coordinator: Bharucha, Adil E.
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.