Federal Grant Award Summary

Wake Forest University Health Sciences received a $622,071 Project Grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) under the Cancer Biology Research program (CFDA 93.396) awarded May 1, 2026, with a completion date of April 30, 2031. The research investigates the role of microbiota-derived metabolite hippurate and its signaling through G-protein coupled receptor 109A (GPR109A) in reducing obesity-mediated breast cancer risk. The project builds on preliminary findings demonstrating that obesity and Western diet consumption reduce hippurate concentrations in breast tissue, and that exogenous hippurate administration reduces tumor progression in mammalian tumor models. The research will utilize non-human primate models, conventional and germ-free mice, and human breast tissue samples to elucidate the mechanistic interactions between diet, microbiome composition, metabolome profiles, and breast cancer susceptibility.

The deliverables under this award include fundamental research findings on cancer biology mechanisms, specifically the interplay between microbial metabolites and host signaling pathways that influence breast cancer development. Research outputs will advance understanding of how obesity and dietary factors modulate the breast tissue microbiome and microbial-derived metabolome in tissue-specific ways, potentially informing improved methods for prevention and risk stratification of obesity-associated breast cancer. The project is positioned to contribute to the Cancer Biology Research program's objective of providing fundamental information on cancer causation and nature to enable better prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment approaches for neoplastic diseases.