Targeting gut microbes to restore food-tolerance in adults
Official title: Targeting microbial dysbiosis in Food Allergy to restore tolerance
Funded at Boston Children's Hospital · NIH-11551491 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aims to understand how gut bacteria and the lining of the gut interact to keep people with food allergies tolerant to what they eat.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | February 25, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $704,213 |
| NIH project number | 2R56AI158814-06A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11551491 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults with food allergy or those at risk of developing food allergy who have dysregulated gut-immune interactions.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals without food allergies or with non-gut-related immune issues may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This project focuses on how the adult immune system and gut microbiome shape tolerance to foods. Researchers study a specific gut-immune circuit involving goblet cells, Tuft cells, and regulatory T cells to see how microbial signals influence oral tolerance. The work will explore how disrupting this balance contributes to food allergy and whether correcting it can restore tolerance. The study uses human-relevant models and aims to identify targets that could lead to new therapies for adults with food allergies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could lead to new strategies to re-establish oral tolerance to foods in people with food allergies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has shown that gut-epithelium and microbiome interactions influence tolerance, with ongoing exploration of targeted pathways yielding promising insights.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Chatila, Talal Amine — Boston Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Chatila, Talal Amine
Related research
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Investigating how gut bacteria affect food allergies in children
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New Horizons in Food Allergy Prevention and Treatment
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Food allergy outcomes by race/ethnicity from infancy through adolescence
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Gut-brain links in food allergy responses
A research grant is exploring how signals between the gut and brain drive dangerous reactions to foods, with the goal of helping people with food allergies.
-
Environment and early-life exposures shaping food allergy in children
This grant looks at how a child’s first year and their home environment may influence whether they develop food allergies, focusing on indoor exposures and microbes.
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.