The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) awarded a $498,064 Project Grant (CFDA 93.847 - Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research) to the Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) to study the genetic variants that drive pathogenicity of inflammatory T cells in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs). The project aims to identify putatively causal genetic variants associated with IBDs through massively parallel reporter assays in human pathogenic T helper 17 (Th17) cells, and then connect those variants to their effects on Th17 cell migration and function using CRISPR-interference screens. Additionally, the researchers will explore the gene regulatory networks influenced by variant cis-regulatory elements in Th17 cells, as well as test the conserved effects of variant cis-regulatory elements on Th17 cell migration and function in a murine IBD model. The overall goal is to link hundreds of IBD risk loci to the function of a disease-relevant cell type, in order to provide insights into how genetic risk promotes IBD and potentially identify new therapeutic targets.
Generated 3/4/25, 2:35 AM