# Microbiome and intestinal barrier in ALS therapy

> **NIH VA I01** · JESSE BROWN VA MEDICAL CENTER · 2021 · —

## Abstract

The goal of this application is to investigate the important role of intestinal microbial homeostasis in ALS,
meanwhile investigating a novel approach that can potentially treat ALS by restoring host-microbe relationships
and combining with FDA approved drugs. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neuromuscular disease
characterized by progressive death of motor neurons and muscle atrophy. Most patients die within 5 years
after the disease onset. Currently, treatment with Riluzole and Radicava only extends patient life span for a few
months. Therefore, there are significant needs to develop novel treatments for ALS and improving the life
quality of ALS patients. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that microbiome and intestinal homeostasis
plays essential roles in neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. However,
little is known about the intestinal microbiome in patients with ALS. Our lab is the first to discover the link
between intestinal homeostasis and the disease progression in an ALS mouse model G93A. Our study in
human ALS further reveals the dysbiosis and intestinal inflammation. ALS mice had damaged intestinal
structure and increased intestinal permeability (leaky gut). Remarkably, restoring the intestinal homeostasis by
feeding the ALS model mice with a bacterial product butyrate significantly delayed the disease onset and
prolonged the life span of ALS mice. We hypothesize that targeting gut microbiome and combining with FDA
approved drugs to improve the intestinal barrier function and restore microbiome, thus slowing disease
progression of ALS. The studies are designed to rigorously examine the hypotheses and address two main
objectives. Aim 1 is to determine the mechanisms that contribute to dysbiosis and barrier dysfunction in ALS.
We will define the mechanism for abnormal epithelial junction structure and dysbiosis (e.g. loss of butyrate-
producing bacteria) in ALS mice. We will investigate roles of butyrate and butyrate-producing bacteria, using
novel molecular tools, enteroid cultures, and transgenic animal models (SOD1G93 mice and a novel gut-specific
overexpression of SOD1G93 model). We will determine mechanisms underlying the benefits of bacterial product
butyrate on intestinal permeability and neuroprotection. Aim 2 is to conduct proof-of-principle studies with
restoring gut microbiome and intestinal barrier for preserving neuromuscular function in ALS. ALS mice at
different stages of ALS will be treated with beneficial bacteria (probiotics that promote butyrate production) or
combining with FDA drugs (Riluzole or Radicava). ALS mice will have fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)
using health wild-type mice as donors. Physiological and molecular biological assessments of intestinal
integrity, microbiome, and neuromuscular performance will be used to evaluate the therapeutic effects.
Histopathology and biochemical evaluations will be used to determine changes at the cellular level ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10106464
- **Project number:** 5I01BX004824-02
- **Recipient organization:** JESSE BROWN VA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Jun Sun
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-04-01 → 2024-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10106464

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10106464, Microbiome and intestinal barrier in ALS therapy (5I01BX004824-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10106464. Licensed CC0.

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