Official websites use .gov

A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( 🔒 ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Need Help

Dissecting the Intracellular and Extracellular Role of TREM2 in the Pathogenesis of Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis.

Award Number: R01DK137061
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES & DIGESTIVE & KIDNEY DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/15/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2027

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Dissecting the Intracellular and Extracellular Role of TREM2 in the Pathogenesis of Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis. - Abstract: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is the fastest growing cause of liver cancer and liver transplant in the U.S. There is currently no approved treatment for NASH and the mechanistic understanding of why some patients with fatty liver maintain a benign condition while others progress to NASH is not clear. Macrophages play a pivotal role in NASH pathogenesis. Accumulating evidence suggest that ‘triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells’ (TREM2) is overexpressed in NASH associated macrophages. Interestingly, even though TREM2 expression is increased during NASH, its absence exacerbates NASH and fibrosis development. This indicates that TREM2 is protective in NASH and fibrosis progression. However, the mechanism of TREM2 signaling remains poorly understood. Moreover, upon ligand engagement, TREM2 gets cleaved from the cell surface into a soluble form (sTREM2) that can be detected in the serum. We found that sTREM2 levels increase with NAFLD and NASH progression, however, the trans-signaling axis of sTREM2 is an area that has not been addressed in the field yet. sTREM2 has the ability to soak up inflammatory ligands such as LPS and lipids as well as bind to macrophages. However, whether sTREM2 can bind and influence downstream signaling in other cells remain unknown. We discovered that sTREM2 itself has NASH protective as well as therapeutic abilities. Introduction of sTREM2 fragment into mice that already had advanced NASH had profound effects on NASH and fibrosis resolution. The goal of this proposal is to better understand how TREM2 exerts its protective functions and dissect the intracellular and trans-signaling axes of TREM2. We will use mouse models of NASH and HCC that closely mimics diet induced metabolic syndrome and human NASH gene signature as well as primary cultures of both mouse and human liver cells in order to assess the following 2 Specific Aims: Aim 1 will identify the key intracellular TREM2 signaling pathways that exerts its protective actions in controlling NASH development. We will also identify the transcription factors responsible for TREM2 expression in NASH associated macrophages. Aim 2 will elucidate the trans-signaling properties of sTREM2 and whether sTREM2 is directly involved in disease progression. The proposed studies will provide key insights into the mechanisms of NASH and HCC development. The findings from this study will lay the foundation for future development and refinement of sTREM2 as a novel therapeutic agent for NASH-Fibrosis and HCC.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $664,854 )
2026	2026	SANFORD BURNHAM PREBYS MEDICAL DISCOVERY INSTITUTE	10901 N TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	4	6/26/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$664,854
														Subtotal = $664,854

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $665,028 )
2025	2025	SANFORD BURNHAM PREBYS MEDICAL DISCOVERY INSTITUTE	10901 N TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	001	3	7/14/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$665,028
2025	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	9500 GILMAN DR	LA JOLLA	CA	92093	SAN DIEGO	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	1	3/18/2025	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $665,028

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $661,236 )
2024	2024	SANFORD BURNHAM PREBYS MEDICAL DISCOVERY INSTITUTE	10901 N TORREY PINES RD	LA JOLLA	CA	92037	SAN DIEGO	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	001	2	8/23/2024	CHANGE OF GRANTEE / TRAINING INSTITUTION / AWARDING INSTITUTION	$661,236
2024	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	9500 GILMAN DR	LA JOLLA	CA	92093	SAN DIEGO	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	1	8/22/2024	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $661,236

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $560,037 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO	9500 GILMAN DRIVE	LA JOLLA	CA	92093	SAN DIEGO	USA	Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research	000	1	8/3/2023	NEW	$560,037
														Subtotal = $560,037

Grand Total All Awards = $2,551,155

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Dissecting the Intracellular and Extracellular Role of TREM2 in the Pathogenesis of Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis.

Award Number: R01DK137061

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIABETES & DIGESTIVE & KIDNEY DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/15/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2027

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer