The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism awarded The Administrators Of Tulane Educational Fund (doing business as Tulane University) $401,626 on September 26, 2025, under the Alcohol Research Programs (CFDA 93.273) to investigate plasma membrane rupture in alcohol-associated hepatitis.
The recipient will determine the role of plasma membrane rupture (PMR) in alcohol-associated liver disease and investigate the mechanism by which cholestasis promotes hepatocellular PMR in that setting. Research activities include testing working hypotheses in mice and in vitro cell or organoid cultures with key PMR contributors knocked down, and testing in liver tissues from alcohol-associated liver disease patients and in vitro cultures to understand the role of bile acid-mediated pathways in PMR. The work aims to contribute toward development of mechanism-based diagnostic and therapeutic interventions to improve outcomes in patients with advanced alcohol-associated liver disease.
The award period runs from September 26, 2025, through August 31, 2027, with place of performance in New Orleans, Louisiana. This is a Project Grant, an exploratory or developmental award under the NIAAA program designed to support early-stage research with defined project periods typically not exceeding five years.