# The Interplay of Host Genetic Variation and the Gut Microbiome in Crohn's Disease

> **NIH NIH F30** · WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $48,654

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Crohn’s Disease (CD) is an autoimmune disease which leads to chronic inflammation and scarring of the
digestive tract. The available treatments involve immunosuppressants and surgery which are costly, with many
individuals still experiencing a decreased quality of life. The cause of CD is unknown, but is believed to occur
due to both genetic and environmental factors, including diet. The gut microbiome is altered in individuals with
CD, leading to dysregulation of the host and microbial transcriptional and metabolic landscape. Furthermore,
many genetic risk variants associated with CD are in host genes known to function in host response to the
microbiome. Thus, characterizing host-microbiome interactions in CD is imperative for understanding the
pathogenesis of CD and identifying potential new therapeutic routes. In this proposed research, I aim to
characterize the interactions between host genetic variation and the gut microbiome that regulate host gene
expression in CD. I will use two complementary approaches. I will use a microbiome/intestinal organoids
co-culturing approach to identify host gene expression changes in response to CD-derived microbiomes, and
host genetic variants that modulate these changes using allele-specific expression analysis. I will also utilize
data available through the Human Microbiome Project Inflammatory Bowel Disease Multi’omics Database to
perform eQTL mapping, and integrate all of my findings with GWAS and TWAS to validate the significance of
GxM for CD risk. These studies will provide insight into host-microbiome interactions that modify genetic risk
for Crohn’s Disease. Furthermore, I will identify specific microbes that could become potential therapeutic
targets for CD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10906658
- **Project number:** 5F30GM151855-02
- **Recipient organization:** WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Shreya Nirmalan
- **Activity code:** F30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $48,654
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-08-17 → 2027-08-16

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10906658

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10906658, The Interplay of Host Genetic Variation and the Gut Microbiome in Crohn's Disease (5F30GM151855-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10906658. Licensed CC0.

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