Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston received a $718,775 Project Grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences under the Environmental Health program (CFDA 93.113) to conduct research on understanding the role of gut microbiome in trichloroethene (TCE)-mediated autoimmunity. The award, obligated on April 1, 2026, with a completion date of January 31, 2031, will fund mechanistic research investigating how environmental TCE exposure causes systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-like disease in genetically susceptible populations through gut microbiota dysbiosis and impaired intestinal integrity.

The research will deliver scientific products including microbiome characterization studies using 16S ribosomal RNA and whole genome sequencing analyses of fecal samples, functional genomic assessments, and fecal microbiome transplant studies in germ-free mice to establish causative mechanisms linking altered microbiota to TCE-mediated autoimmunity. The project outputs will advance understanding of how environmental chemical exposures interact with microbial communities to trigger autoimmune disease, contributing to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences' mission to reduce disease burden through environmental health research.