Project Grant R01DK136691

This Project Grant award 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), provides $1,152,592 to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to conduct research on the mechanisms by which iron deficiency worsens inflammatory tissue injury. The project aims to define the molecular pathways underlying the adverse interaction between iron deficiency and inflammation, focusing on macrophage-mediated inflammation, endothelial sensitization, and the resulting impact on lung and kidney injury. The research will utilize mouse models to investigate how iron deficiency potentiates inflammation through the NF-kB pathway and alters tissue responsiveness by modulating the CREB transcription factor and ER stress. The findings from this 4-year project, which begins in September 2024, are expected to have both fundamental and translational impact, potentially guiding future clinical studies on the adverse interaction between iron deficiency and inflammatory disorders.