Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The University of Michigan, through its Office of Research and Sponsored Projects, received a $651,082 Project Grant from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847). The award, issued June 15, 2026, with a completion date of March 31, 2030, supports biomedical research investigating the reactivation of developmental signaling programs during human intestinal injury and repair. The research project delivers scientific investigation into how intestinal stem cells activate fetal-like gene expression patterns following injury, with specific focus on the functional role of epiregulin (EREG), a developmental gene re-activated during injury repair.

The research products will be generated through three primary aims utilizing human intestinal organoid (HIO) models derived from induced pluripotent stem cells and adult tissue. The project will define EREG's developmental role through genetic modification experiments, investigate EREG's function during chemotherapy and radiation-induced injury repair, and elucidate the mechanistic pathways of EREG action. Research activities will be conducted at the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor, Michigan facility. This research contributes to NIDDK's programmatic objective of promoting extramural biomedical research that improves understanding of disease mechanisms and leads to improved prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of digestive diseases.