# Determination of biomarkers of iron status and inflammation in saliva.

> **NIH NIH R21** · CORNELL UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $196,250

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Biomarker determination for both nutritional status and inflammation has classically relied on blood-based
biomarkers. Blood sampling has associated challenges including being partially invasive, requiring specially
trained personnel and equipment for collection and processing, and having resistance to blood collection in some
communities. Our long-term goal is to evaluate salivary biomarkers as an option to address issues common with
blood sampling. Our overall objectives in this application are to determine salivary and serum biomarkers of iron
and inflammation status in a population with expected burden of malnutrition and inflammation. We hypothesize
that salivary biomarkers will demonstrate sufficient diagnostic performance for determining the degree of
inflammation and iron status relative to serum biomarkers. We will test our hypothesis with the following specific
aims: 1) In a resource-limited setting with heterogeneity in iron status, compare salivary versus serum biomarkers
accounting for inflammation, 2) Evaluate the utility of saliva for determination of the ratio-based body iron index,
and 3) Measure changes in salivary biomarkers and the body iron index in response to an iron intervention.
Our approach includes domestic pilot work and leveraging a cohort of mothers and their young children in India
participating in a feeding trial including biofortified high iron pearl millet. We also have paired serum-saliva
samples from a survey of women of reproductive age participating in a CDC-supported periconceptional
surveillance program at the same site in India as a potential back up. In our opinion, this research is innovative
because the development of salivary biomarkers of inflammatory and nutritional status, including the ratio-based
body iron index, would facilitate easier, cheaper, and more acceptable sampling and assessment of an
individual’s or population’s status. These contributions are significant because they could dramatically improve
biological sampling and assessment for nutritional and inflammatory assessment, which remain significant public
health burdens globally and have challenges with assessment of high-risk individuals. Such developments would
open up future avenues of research and development in salivary biomarkers and diagnostics.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10465173
- **Project number:** 5R21HD103974-02
- **Recipient organization:** CORNELL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Saurabh Mehta
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $196,250
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-08-09 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10465173

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10465173, Determination of biomarkers of iron status and inflammation in saliva. (5R21HD103974-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10465173. Licensed CC0.

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