Investigating how gut proteins affect liver disease from alcohol use
Official title: The role of intestinal gp130 in alcohol-associated liver disease
Funded at University of California, San Diego · NIH-10742561 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how drinking alcohol affects your gut and liver health, and it aims to find ways to help protect your liver by focusing on certain proteins in your intestines, so if you have alcohol use disorder, your participation could help improve treatments for liver issues.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2025 |
| Funding year | 2023 |
| Award (this year) | $414,750 |
| NIH project number | 1R21AA030654-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-10742561 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are individuals diagnosed with alcohol use disorder who are experiencing liver disease.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not have alcohol use disorder or liver disease may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research explores the connection between alcohol use disorder and liver disease by focusing on the role of specific proteins in the gut. It examines how alcohol consumption disrupts the balance of gut bacteria and increases gut permeability, leading to liver inflammation. The study aims to restore the expression of protective proteins in the intestine to improve liver health. Patients may be involved in understanding how these gut proteins can be targeted for therapy.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to new therapies that improve liver health in individuals with alcohol use disorder.
How similar studies have gone: Other research has shown promising results in targeting gut health to improve liver conditions, indicating that this approach may be effective.
Where this research is happening
-
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Llorente Izquierdo, Ana Cristina — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Llorente Izquierdo, Ana Cristina
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Improved MRI guidance for pediatric heart catheterization using autonomous multi-beat image synthesis
Aiming to make MRI-guided pediatric heart catheterizations safer and more reliable by using smart, multi-beat data fusion to produce clearer real-time MRI images.
-
Adapting a combination approach to reduce heavy drinking and boost HIV care and prevention among young men
A pilot project tests a proven program that helps young men cut down on heavy drinking and improves HIV treatment and prevention outcomes.
-
How specific anti-NMDAR1 antibodies in the blood may affect memory and brain protection
This research is exploring whether natural or abnormal anti-NMDAR1 antibodies in the blood influence memory, behavior, and brain protection in humans.
-
Screening and treatment of Chlamydia infection in pregnancy to help prevent preterm birth
This grant studies whether screening pregnant people for Chlamydia trachomatis and treating those who are positive can reduce the risk of preterm birth.
-
Pharmacometrics Core at UC San Diego
A pharmacometrics core is funded to support researchers in analyzing drug data to improve how medicines work for patients.
-
Milk Analytics Core for Precision Dairy Research
A core facility at UC San Diego will provide specialized milk analysis services to support research on dairy biology and human health.
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.