# Biomarkers Project for the Dietary Biomarkers Development Center at Harvard University

> **NIH NIH U2C** · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · 2024 · $258,957

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT – BIOMARKERS PROJECT
Accurate dietary assessments are a major challenge in nutritional research, especially among free-living
individuals. In contrast to self-reported dietary assessments, dietary biomarkers are more objective and less
prone to reporting errors. However, traditional dietary biomarker discovery methods are rate-limiting and rely
on prior knowledge of food composition. Advances in metabolomic profiling techniques, coupled with feeding
trials, now pave the road for discovering novel food biomarkers more efficiently, although the list of sensitive
and specific food biomarkers is still short. In response to the RFA-DK-20-005, this proposal, which is specific
for the Biomarkers Project (BP) Core, will focus on the characterization of pharmacokinetics of novel food
biomarkers and validation of food biomarkers in both clinical feeding trial and observational study settings in
multiple independent populations. Specifically, at Phase 1, based on data and resources to be generated at the
Intervention Core, we will calculate half-lives of novel food biomarkers, estimate other pharmacokinetics
features of the markers, and establish calibration curves and functions for computing food intake. At Phase 2,
we will evaluate changes of food biomarkers following 6-week dietary interventions (DASH-style high-
carbohydrate diet, high plant protein diet, and high unsaturated fat diet) implemented in the OmniHeart feeding
trial. We will further use multiple markers to construct a diet quality score and examine the effects of the
interventions on the score. At Phase 3, we will validate the food biomarkers using dietary data assessed by the
gold-standard 7-day diet records and other validated tools in the Lifestyle Validation Study (LVS) and Study of
Latinos Nutrition & Physical Activity Assessment Study (SOLNAS). We will further build measurement error
correction equations based on the calibration curves and explore inter-relationships between diet, microbiome,
and food biomarkers. These proposed projects at the BP Core will significantly accelerate the advances in food
biomarker discovery and validation in U.S. populations. In addition, the overall complementary, inter-connected
projects proposed for the Harvard Dietary Biomarker Development Center will be led by a highly experienced
investigator team consisting of researchers with expertise in feeding trials, metabolomics, bioinformatics,
nutritional biomarker research, and nutritional epidemiology. The interdisciplinary expertise and rich, existing
resources of multi-ethnic cohorts in the U.S. will lead to significant scientific yields in a cost-effective manner.
Data to be generated from the BP Core will not only characterize and validate novel food markers but also
build the foundation for applying the food biomarkers in a broad range of research settings, such as evaluation
of diet-disease associations or monitoring of dietary compliance. As such, the proposed research has ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10898086
- **Project number:** 5U2CDK129670-04
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Qi Sun
- **Activity code:** U2C (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $258,957
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-08-16 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10898086

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10898086, Biomarkers Project for the Dietary Biomarkers Development Center at Harvard University (5U2CDK129670-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10898086. Licensed CC0.

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