Looking inside the inflamed pancreas with live imaging
Official title: Deciphering Pancreatitis Microenvironment through Intravital Imaging
Funded at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville · NIH-11322051 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are testing whether blocking blood-clotting signals and an enzyme called trypsin can reduce damage in acute pancreatitis using advanced live imaging in mice.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Mayo Clinic Jacksonville NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Jacksonville, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $578,659 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK139207-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11322051 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This is preclinical laboratory research in mice, so there are no human enrollment criteria and patients are not being recruited.
✕Less likely to help
People with pancreatitis will not receive direct treatment or benefit from this grant while the work is limited to animal models and lab imaging.
What this research studies
From my perspective as a patient, this project uses specially engineered mice that lack trypsin or thrombin to learn how these proteins drive pancreatic injury. Scientists will use multiphoton intravital (live) imaging to watch inflammation, blood flow, and clotting in the pancreas in real time. They will give drugs that block thrombin and PAR receptors and compare effects in genetic mouse models like PAR1 knockouts. The team will also work on better ways to deliver drugs into the inflamed pancreas.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new drug targets or delivery methods that reduce inflammation and organ damage in acute pancreatitis.
How similar studies have gone: Prior animal studies suggest thrombin-targeting approaches showed promising protection compared with selective trypsin inhibitors, but human clinical testing is limited.
Where this research is happening
-
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville
Jacksonville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bi, Yan — Mayo Clinic Jacksonville
- Study coordinator: Bi, Yan
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Chronic Pancreatitis and Related Conditions Data Center Supports Multi-Center Research
A national effort to organize and share clinical data and biosamples from people with chronic pancreatitis, pancreatogenic diabetes, and pancreatic cancer to speed biomarker discovery and new treatments.
-
Lymphatic roles in pancreatitis and recovery
This project looks at how the lymphatic system influences inflammation and healing in pancreatitis, using mouse models to identify new therapeutic targets.
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Diabetes after acute pancreatitis: understanding and tracking progression
A patient-focused look at how diabetes can develop after an episode of acute pancreatitis, using data from a large, ongoing study and AI insights.
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Continuation of Type 1 Diabetes in Acute Pancreatitis: UF Health and AdventHealth
A patient-facing overview of a long-term study tracking people with acute pancreatitis to understand how some develop type 1 diabetes later and what factors influence that process.
-
Data Coordinating Center for Type 1 Diabetes in Acute Pancreatitis Consortium
A national effort to learn how pancreatitis-related Type 1 diabetes develops, by tracking patients and coordinating data to improve future care.
-
Diabetes after acute pancreatitis: a patient-focused network study
A program at Indiana University is studying how diabetes can develop after an acute pancreatitis episode, with new findings that could help doctors tailor care for adults who had pancreatitis.
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.