Project Grant K23DK149057

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded The Regents of The University of Colorado (University of Colorado-Denver) $193,351 on August 1, 2026, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) to investigate mechanisms of sarcopenia in children with chronic liver disease.

The research examines how impaired mitochondrial function and altered bile acid homeostasis contribute to muscle wasting in pediatric cholestatic liver disease. The project will measure mitochondrial respiration, reactive oxygen species generation, and oxidative stress in rectus abdominis muscle tissue obtained during liver transplantation in children with chronic cholestasis, compared to muscle from age-matched controls undergoing abdominal surgery. Three specific aims address mitochondrial respiration and its association with sarcopenia, differences in muscle protein regulation between children with and without sarcopenia, and relationships between bile acid concentrations and muscle protein metabolism in both tissue samples and cultured myotubes. Mitochondrial analysis will employ Oroboros O2K respirometry to assess oxygen consumption and reactive oxygen species generation.

Performance runs from August 1, 2026, through April 30, 2031, at the University of Colorado-Denver campus in Aurora, Colorado. This is a Project Grant, an assistance type supporting extramural research to improve understanding of disease mechanisms underlying diabetes, digestive, and kidney diseases.