Renalase and how it affects pancreatitis severity
Official title: Regulation of pancreatitis severity
Funded at VA Connecticut Healthcare System · NIH-11207172 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work looks at whether a naturally occurring protein called renalase can protect the pancreas and reduce the severity of acute pancreatitis in people who get severe attacks.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Connecticut Healthcare System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (West Haven, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2016 |
| Project end | September 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX003250-10 |
| Project ID | NIH-11207172 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with acute pancreatitis — especially alcohol-related attacks, older adults, or veterans who are at higher risk — are the most relevant candidates for related clinical work or sample donation.
✕Less likely to help
People with chronic pancreatitis or digestive conditions unrelated to acute attacks would likely not benefit from this specific work.
What this research studies
The team uses mouse models and laboratory experiments to see how renalase changes during an acute pancreatitis attack and whether giving lab-made renalase reduces pancreatic injury. They study how renalase protects pancreatic acinar cells, focusing on a calcium pump called PMCA4b that appears to mediate the effect. The researchers also measure renalase levels in blood from patients with acute pancreatitis to see if those levels track with disease severity. Together these approaches aim to link the lab findings to human illness and point toward possible tests or treatments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to a new treatment or a blood marker that lowers complications, hospital stays, and deaths from severe acute pancreatitis.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical mouse studies by the team showed that deleting renalase worsens disease and that giving recombinant renalase reduced injury, and early human blood samples suggest renalase falls during attacks, but treatments in people remain untested.
Where this research is happening
-
VA Connecticut Healthcare System
West Haven, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Gorelick, Fred Sanford — VA Connecticut Healthcare System
- Study coordinator: Gorelick, Fred Sanford
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.
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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.
-
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.