Federal Project Grant Award Summary

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) awarded Massachusetts Institute of Technology $837,398 on July 10, 2026, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) to develop a label-free imaging platform for mapping lipid-mitochondrial interactions in the enteric nervous system. The project, scheduled for completion by March 31, 2031, will integrate a deep metabolic imaging microscope with fast, time-resolved detection and tunable laser technology to distinguish lipid droplets that store fatty acids from those that support mitochondrial function in three-dimensional tissue samples. The research team will validate the imaging accuracy against fluorescent markers (BODIPY and MitoTracker) in liver organoid models and freshly isolated gut tissue, then develop machine learning algorithms capable of identifying lipid and mitochondrial regions with over 90% accuracy.

The deliverables include optimization of the label-free imaging methodology and application of the validated platform to investigate how lipid-mitochondrial organization changes across the lifespan and in disease states. The project will test the imaging system on liver and breast cancer cells treated with oleic acid loading or metabolic drugs to assess cellular lipid and mitochondrial reorganization patterns. This research directly supports NIDDK's mission to advance understanding of metabolic dysfunction and gastrointestinal disease mechanisms by providing a novel imaging capability that enables high-resolution, three-dimensional metabolic profiling without reliance on fluorescent dyes.