Project Grant R01DK144279

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago $799,603 on August 10, 2026, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) to investigate intestinal embryonic macrophage dysfunction in necrotizing enterocolitis.

The research examines how defective intestinal microvascular development contributes to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a devastating disease in premature infants. The study focuses on embryonic macrophages' role in promoting endothelial cell proliferation and intestinal mucosal development through insulin-like growth factor 1 production. Preliminary findings indicate that NEC-related stresses trigger a phenotypic transition in neonatal macrophages from a pro-angiogenic to a pro-inflammatory state, inhibiting gut angiogenesis and resulting in inadequate intestinal microvasculature. The research tests whether blocking junctional adhesion molecule-like protein can protect against NEC-induced microvascular dysfunction. The project runs through April 30, 2030, with work performed at the Chicago, Illinois facility.