Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Louisville, through its Office of Research & Innovation, received a $167,280 Project Grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847). The award, effective September 1, 2026, through May 31, 2031, funds extramural biomedical research aimed at improving understanding of disease mechanisms and developing improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment approaches for diabetes, digestive, and kidney diseases.

The research initiative addresses necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a devastating intestinal disease affecting approximately 10% of premature infants. The project employs metabolite-driven strategies to strengthen the premature intestine by investigating whether urolithin A and synthetic analogue UAS03, through aryl hydrocarbon receptor pathway activation, can accelerate gastrointestinal development and reduce NEC susceptibility. The research deliverables include preclinical findings on goblet cell differentiation, mucus barrier formation, and microbial diversity using mouse models of NEC-like intestinal injury, as well as translational human intestinal enteroid studies derived from premature infants to define the mechanistic requirements for epithelial barrier maturation and function.