Preventing C. difficile infections with modified bile salt compounds
Official title: Using bile salt metabolism to modulate CDI prophylaxis
Funded at University of Nevada Las Vegas · NIH-11369754 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research tests modified bile salt compounds designed to stop C. difficile spores from waking up and causing infection in people at risk, like hospitalized patients on antibiotics.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Nevada Las Vegas NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Las Vegas, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 2014 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $715,935 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AI109139-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11369754 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for future human testing would be people at high risk for C. difficile, such as hospitalized patients taking antibiotics, older adults, or those with weakened immune systems.
✕Less likely to help
People who already have an active C. difficile infection or those not exposed to antibiotics are unlikely to benefit from this preventive approach.
What this research studies
From a patient's point of view, researchers are making stable, non-harmful versions of bile salts that block C. difficile spores from germinating in the gut after antibiotics. They've shown these compounds can protect mice from C. difficile without toxic effects and that the compounds can circulate in the body and resist being broken down by gut bacteria. The team is optimizing chemistry and checking how different bile salt features affect activity and stability. The long-term aim is to develop a preventive treatment that could be given to patients at high risk of C. difficile.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these compounds could prevent many at-risk patients from developing C. difficile after antibiotic use.
How similar studies have gone: Similar bile salt analogs have protected mice from C. difficile in prior studies, but this approach has not yet been tested in humans.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Nevada Las Vegas
Las Vegas, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Abel-Santos, Ernesto V — University of Nevada Las Vegas
- Study coordinator: Abel-Santos, Ernesto V
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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.