Understanding how choline moves in the body for health and metabolic conditions
Official title: The physiological and molecular function of choline transport in health and metabolic disease
Funded at Rockefeller University · NIH-11182655 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to discover how a vital nutrient called choline enters human cells, which is important for overall health and conditions like metabolic disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rockefeller University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2024 |
| Project end | June 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $728,531 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DK140337-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11182655 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This foundational work does not directly involve patient participation but aims to benefit individuals with metabolic diseases in the future.
✕Less likely to help
Patients seeking immediate treatment or direct clinical intervention would not find direct benefit from this basic science project.
What this research studies
Our bodies rely on tiny transporters to move important nutrients like choline into our cells. While choline is essential for cell health, brain function, and metabolism, we don't fully understand how it gets into all human cells. This project uses advanced genetic studies from a group of Finnish individuals to find the specific transporters responsible for moving choline. By identifying these transporters, we hope to learn more about their role in keeping us healthy and how they might contribute to metabolic diseases.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new ways to understand and potentially treat metabolic diseases by targeting how choline is used in the body.
How similar studies have gone: While the general concept of nutrient transporters is established, identifying this specific high-affinity choline transporter in a widespread manner across human tissues is a novel aspect of this work.
Where this research is happening
-
Rockefeller University
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Birsoy, Kivanc — Rockefeller University
- Study coordinator: Birsoy, Kivanc
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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.