Project Grant R01DK141072

This federal Project Grant award, totaling $2,334,824.00, was provided by 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 overriding goal of this 4-year grant, awarded to The Johns Hopkins University, is to understand the pathogenesis of neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) - a leading cause of death from gastrointestinal disease in premature infants - and to develop novel treatments for this devastating condition. The research will focus on the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in the intestinal epithelium of premature infants, and how this dysfunction, combined with bacterial activation of the TLR4 receptor, leads to NEC development. The researchers will investigate mechanisms by which prematurity and bacterial colonization impair mitochondrial function and biogenesis, and test pharmacological interventions to restore mitochondrial health and reduce NEC severity.