Understanding how human antimicrobial peptides RNase3, RNase6, and RI help prevent and treat urinary tract infections
Official title: Roles of RNase3, RNase6, and Ribonuclease Inhibitor in Bacterial Urinary Tract Infection
Funded at Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp · NIH-11447734 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research project is exploring how natural antibacterial proteins in the urinary tract could protect against UTIs and reduce kidney damage, with the goal of developing new treatments.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Columbus, United States) |
| Project start | August 19, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $795,317 |
| NIH project number | 1R01DK141592-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11447734 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals at risk for urinary tract infections or with recurrent UTIs and related kidney concerns, or patients contributing biological samples in related studies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without UTIs or kidney involvement may not directly benefit from this basic mechanistic research.
What this research studies
Researchers will study RNase3 and RNase6, two human antimicrobial proteins, and how they work in the urinary tract to fight infections. They will use transgenic mice that express these proteins to see how infection risk changes and how these proteins interact with the immune system. They will also examine how Ribonuclease Inhibitor (RI) and Pi3K/Akt signaling influence the body’s defense against UTIs. The goal is to identify mechanisms that could be targeted to prevent kidney injury and long-term kidney problems from UTIs.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to new peptide-based or biologically inspired therapies to prevent or treat UTIs and protect kidney function.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has linked antimicrobial peptides to bacterial defense, but translating this to clinical therapies remains ongoing and promising.
Where this research is happening
-
Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp
Columbus, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Becknell, Brian — Research Inst Nationwide Children's Hosp
- Study coordinator: Becknell, Brian
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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.