# The influence of structural violence and individual behavior and health on the gut microbiome and colorectal cancer risk

> **NIH NIH U54** · UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO · 2021 · $307,692

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY 
Among all racial/ethnic groups, African Americans (AAs) exhibit the highest colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence 
and mortality, for reasons that remain poorly understood. The gut microbiome is emerging as a significant 
contributor to host health and disease. How social determinants interacting with individual factors 
influence the gut microbiome may be key to understanding racial/ethnic variation in CRC. 
This study will 
establish if exposure to 
structural violence increases psychosocial and physical vulnerability (e.g., 
anxiety/stress), compounded by one's behavior (e.g., diet), which interacts with the gut microbiome in ways 
that result in CRC health inequality in urban AAs. Structural violence refers to the multiple ways in which social, 
economic, and political systems expose particular populations to risks and vulnerabilities leading to increased 
morbidity and mortality. AAs are more likely to live in urban poverty areas that are fraught with structural 
violence. Chronic exposure to these societal pressures can elicit adverse neuroendocrine and immune 
responses that alter the gut microbiome. In Aim 1, we will leverage our ongoing trial of 200 urban AA and non- 
Hispanic white (NHW) adults (R01 CA204808) at high and low risk for CRC to evaluate: exposure to structural 
violence at the community and individual level; psychosocial and physical health, dietary behavior, 
neuroendocrine and immune markers, and colonic mucosa inflammation. From stool and mucosa, gut 
microbial taxonomic structure, abundance of targeted microbes and their functional genes, shotgun 
metagenomics, and targeted stool microbial metabolites will be determined. We will ascertain: (1) if the 
distribution of these exposures and microbial markers differ between AAs and NHWs; (2) if the level of 
exposure to structural violence is associated with the stool and colonic mucosa microbiomes and stool 
metabolites; and (3) if exposure to structural violence, microbial data, neuroendocrine/immune markers, and 
individual diet/health are predictive of colonic inflammation and adenoma using advanced computing 
approaches. In Aim 2, using a mouse model of APC-driven colon polyps, we will mimic under controlled 
conditions the type of diet and stress from structural violence observed in urban AA communities. Mice will be 
exposed to one of three diets (low animal protein/low saturated fat, high animal protein/low saturated fat, or 
high animal protein/high saturated fat), with or without exposure to episodic aggression (mimicking structural 
violence). Frequency, size, and severity of colon polyps, abundance of targeted gut microbes and their 
functional genes, neuroendocrine/immune markers, and colonic inflammation will be assessed and 
correlated to each animal cohort. 
The success of this research is supported by a multidisciplinary team of 
scientists with expertise in microbiology, social science, CRC mouse models, gastroenterology, bioinformatics, 
and n...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10215259
- **Project number:** 5U54MD012523-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT CHICAGO
- **Principal Investigator:** PAUL J GRIPPO
- **Activity code:** U54 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $307,692
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-09-23 → 2026-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10215259

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10215259, The influence of structural violence and individual behavior and health on the gut microbiome and colorectal cancer risk (5U54MD012523-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10215259. Licensed CC0.

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