Federal Project Grant Award Summary

Vanderbilt University Medical Center received $874,014 in federal funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) under the Cardiovascular Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.837) for a four-year Project Grant awarded July 1, 2026, with completion targeted for June 30, 2030. The award funds deep mechanistic investigation into the relationship between gut microbiota composition, dietary sodium intake, salt-sensitivity of blood pressure (SSBP), metabolic alterations, and cardiovascular inflammation in human subjects and animal models. Deliverables include quantification of SSBP through 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in 50 adult study participants enrolled in a randomized crossover design with standardized high- and low-sodium dietary interventions, coupled with collection and analysis of repeated stool, urine, and blood samples to characterize microbial and host metabolic profiles.

The project generates scientific outputs through mechanistic research using human cell cultures and mouse models designed to elucidate how elevated dietary sodium alters the composition and metabolic function of gut microbiota—specifically increases in Firmicutes and Prevotella bacteria—and how these alterations contribute to vascular inflammation, elevated blood pressure, and increased cardiovascular disease risk. This investigation directly addresses the gap in understanding precise mechanisms linking dietary sodium to cardiovascular outcomes and represents hypothesis-driven, patient-centered research consistent with NHLBI's mission to advance cardiovascular disease prevention and treatment.