Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Illinois at Chicago received a $110,228 Project Grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) awarded November 10, 2026, with completion targeted for July 31, 2030. The award funds research to uncover sulfonated high-mobility group box-1 (SO3HMGB1)-mediated mechanisms underlying alcohol-associated liver disease (AALD) progression and recovery through single-nucleus multiomics analysis. The project employs a time-resolved, multi-omic approach to identify transcriptional programs, chromatin states, and cell-cell communication pathways governing AALD across defined disease stages—steatosis, alcoholic hepatitis, and fibrosis—in hepatocytes, hepatic stellate cells, Kupffer cells, and immune populations.

The research delivers two primary products: (1) deconvolution of human bulk RNA-sequencing datasets using single-cell RNA-sequencing references to quantify cell-type dynamics across disease stages and establish a human-relevant framework for murine model guidance, and (2) integrated single-nucleus RNA-sequencing and assay for transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing (ATAC-seq) analysis on liver tissues from ethanol-fed mice at control, injury, and recovery stages, with and without SO3HMGB1 treatment. These analyses will elucidate how SO3HMGB1 rewires cell-type-specific gene-regulatory networks and ligand-receptor interactions to suppress inflammation, deactivate fibrogenic cells, and restore hepatocyte function, ultimately advancing therapeutic strategies for AALD treatment.