Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Washington received a $825,905 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), awarded March 6, 2026, with completion targeted for January 31, 2030. The primary deliverable is the development of an immunocompetent three-dimensional colon tissue platform (colon chip) designed to model Crohn's disease pathophysiology in an ex vivo experimental setting. This bioengineered platform will incorporate primary human intestinal and immune cells, a physiologically patterned mucus hydrogel barrier, and a magnetic fecal surrogate composed of cellulose and colonic bacteria to accurately replicate the microenvironment of the human colon in both healthy and diseased states.

The research addresses significant limitations in existing Crohn's disease models by providing a humanized experimental platform that more accurately mimics tissue microarchitecture, cellular organization, and physiological conditions than current alternatives such as non-human cell lines, organoid systems, or traditional monolayer cultures. This interdisciplinary collaboration, leveraging expertise in bioengineered intestinal platforms, immunology, and clinical gastroenterology, aims to enable novel investigations into how the intestinal lumenal and basal microenvironments contribute to Crohn's disease origins, ultimately supporting improved understanding of disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic development for this chronic inflammatory bowel condition.