# The Role of Nutrition in the Development/Progression of Alcohol-Induced Organ Injury

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE · 2024 · $1,357,495

## Abstract

The University of Louisville Alcohol Research Center (ULARC) was created to serve as a
regional/national resource to perform interdisciplinary collaborative research on the role of nutrition as
a cofactor in alcohol induced organ injury and as a possible therapeutic intervention to prevent/treat
this organ injury. The nutrition and alcohol-induced organ injury theme of the center is unique among
alcohol centers. The approach is highly translational. Our investigators include faculty from 13 departments
and 6 colleges. The Specific Aims of the ULARC are to:
1) perform/facilitate interdisciplinary research on nutrition and alcohol-induced organ injury;
2) serve as a regional/national resource for the study of nutrition and alcohol-induced organ injury;
3) develop potential therapeutic targets/interventions for alcohol induced organ injury based on the
mechanistic research of the ULARC; and
4) disseminate knowledge/interventions to the scientific and lay communities.
We will explore interactions of nutrition and alcohol abuse in the development of alcohol-induced organ
dysfunction, and we will evaluate diverse potential nutritional preventive/therapeutic interventions. Project 1
(Kirpich/McClain) evaluates the role of dietary fat in ALD pathogenesis; Project 2 (Barve) evaluates alcohol-
induced epigenetic alterations in the gut:liver axis. Project 3 (Chen) will elucidate the mechanisms by which
enhancers mediate ethanol-induced developmental impairment of neural crest cells and teratogenesis and
unique exosome treatment for prevention of FASD. Project 4 (Feng) studies the beneficial effects of the
probiotic, Lactobacillus rhamnosis GG (LGG)on the gut:liver axis in ALD.
 Together, these projects form a cohesive and interactive approach to investigate the effects of nutrition and
nutritional interventions on alcohol-induced organ injury.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10833527
- **Project number:** 5P50AA024337-09
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE
- **Principal Investigator:** CRAIG J. MCCLAIN
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,357,495
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-05-15 → 2026-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10833527

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10833527, The Role of Nutrition in the Development/Progression of Alcohol-Induced Organ Injury (5P50AA024337-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10833527. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*