# Inflammatory mediators of cardiometabolic risk in Latinos

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · 2020 · $979,466

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Cardiometabolic risk factors and type 2 diabetes (T2D) impart a substantial and growing morbidity and mortality
burden that disproportionally affects racial/ethnic minorities, including Hispanic/Latinos (H/L). The population
burden, established disparities, and limited availability of T2D treatments to reverse progression or prevent long-
term complications underscore an urgent need to clarify mechanistic pathways that may serve as novel targets
for prevention and treatment. Chronic low-grade inflammation is a widely recognized common pathological
feature underling cardiometabolic risk factors and T2D, particularly in H/L when compared to other racial/ethnic
groups; identifying specific mediators of chronic low-grade inflammation could greatly enhance efforts to tailor
existing agents or develop of novel therapies, especially in populations at highest risk. Prior attempts to examine
specific mediators of chronic low-grade inflammation have been limited by a focus on downstream markers,
including C-reactive protein, which are less likely to be causal or are difficult to reliably measure. Upstream
regulation of systemic inflammation is in turn mediated by fatty acid derived lipid mediators termed eicosanoids.
Although select eicosanoids have been associated with cardiometabolic risk factors and T2D, prior studies have
only assessed a handful of the most abundant eicosanoids in humans. We propose to address this major
research gap by leveraging advances in analytical mass spectrometry (MS) that now enable the rapid and
accurate quantification of >150 eicosanoids spanning major biosynthetic pathways. Eicosanoids will be assayed
in the deeply-phenotyped population-based Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (SOL) cohort,
enabling cost-effective testing of study hypotheses in a H/L population with established cardiometabolic risk
factor and T2D disparities. Specifically, we will identify known and novel eicosanoids associated with
cardiometabolic risk factors and T2D, as well as leverage existing genomics data to conduct causal inference
studies and evaluate mechanistic frameworks for key eicosanoids. This work will shed insight into the
mechanisms underlying cardiometabolic disease in H/L, identify potential sources of health disparities in a
genetically admixed cohort, and provide an essential foundation for future studies of inflammatory-modulating
therapies aimed at reducing the burden of cardiometabolic disease in the population at large.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9909255
- **Project number:** 1R01HL147853-01A1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL
- **Principal Investigator:** Christy Leigh Avery
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $979,466
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-01-01 → 2023-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9909255

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9909255, Inflammatory mediators of cardiometabolic risk in Latinos (1R01HL147853-01A1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9909255. Licensed CC0.

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