When stressed intestinal cells trigger gut inflammation
Endoplasmic reticulum stress and intestinal inflammation
This work looks at how stress inside the gut lining can make immune cells change and lead to intestinal inflammation in people with bowel inflammation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11335737 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are studying how protein-folding stress in intestinal lining cells (the unfolded protein response) causes those cells to release molecules like xanthine that drive a unique Th17/Th2 immune-cell response. They use tissue and cell experiments, animal models, and analyses of the gut microbiome to map the pathway and see how microbes modify the effect. The team compares samples with and without inflammation to determine which steps are sterile (microbe-independent) and which depend on commensal bacteria. The goal is to pin down the mechanisms linking epithelial cell stress to immune changes in the intestine.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates would include people with intestinal inflammation (for example Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis) and possibly healthy volunteers for comparison of the gut microbiome.
Not a fit: People without gut inflammation or whose symptoms are caused entirely by non-intestinal conditions are unlikely to benefit directly from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could point to new targets to prevent or reduce intestinal inflammation such as that seen in inflammatory bowel diseases.
How similar studies have performed: Previous work has linked ER stress and the unfolded protein response to intestinal inflammation in animal and human tissues, but the specific xanthine-driven Th17/Th2 pathway is a more recent and less-tested finding.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Brigham and Women's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Blumberg, Richard S — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Blumberg, Richard S
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 below.