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Microbiome, Environment, and Parkinsons disease (MEP) PESTICIDE EXPOSURES AND THE GUT MICROBIOME IN PARKINSONS DISEASE

Award Number: R01ES031106
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/15/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2026

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Microbiome, Environment, and Parkinsons disease (MEP) PESTICIDE EXPOSURES AND THE GUT MICROBIOME IN PARKINSONS DISEASE - Abstract. The human microbiome has a major role in the uptake and handling of nutrients, medications, and toxins; and is of great immune system relevance. Evidence is mounting that it can affect aspects of neurologic function, brain activity, and behavior via the ‘gut-brain-axis’. New propositions are that environmental exposures such as pesticides, metals, and air pollution influence the microbiome and the human immune system and that the microbiome plays a role in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Here we propose the novel hypothesis that a) the microbiome is affected by chronic environmental exposures, specifically pesticides; and b) an altered gut microbiome composition or function contributes to the progression of neurodegeneration in PD. PD - a progressive neurodegenerative disease – has various non-motor symptoms including gastro-intestinal (GI) features such as constipation and gastroparesis. Its pathologic hallmarks, namely Lewy bodies and α-synuclein aggregates, have been found in the gut’s enteric nervous system of PD patients along with inflammation. The role of the gut microbiome in PD is underexplored and no study has addressed whether toxins influence neurodegeneration via the microbiome. We previously developed a resource to investigate long-term exposure to pesticides in humans, i.e. a geographic information system (GIS) model based on records from the California state pesticide use reporting (PUR) system. Capitalizing on our unique PUR exposure assessment tool and the Parkinson's Disease Susceptibility Genes and Pesticides Study (PEG; R01 ES-010544) resources, we have joined forces with Drs. Mayer and Jacob (UCLA Division of Digestive Diseases) - experts in brain-gut connection microbiome research - and propose to analyze the gut microbiome of 400 PD patients and 600 (200 age-matched household & 400 age-sex matched community) controls using 16S ribosomal RNA to assess relative abundance of microbiota. Specifically, we will assess composition and function (using the predicted metagenome) in pesticide exposed vs. non-exposed controls and PD patients of different progression phenotypes. We will newly enroll 200 new-onset, of these 100 medication naïve (MN) PD patients, to collect data on exposures, gut motility indicators, and fecal samples for metabolomics and culture based experiments (before and after starting PD medications); assess differences in relative abundances of microbes over time using 16S ribosomal RNA and shotgun metagenomics and conduct metabolomics (blood or stool) analyses for new onset PD patients (twice, longitudinally) and their household controls. We combine for this research our extensive expertise in pesticide exposure assessment and studying PD progression in community-based patients, an exceptionally well-characterized population living in a heavily pesticide exposed region, with the expertise of our UCLA GI team in brain-gut axis research and the resources of the UCLA microbiome core. Our resources provide a strong and efficient platform for addressing chronic environmental exposure to pesticides and their impacts on the gut microbiome and on neurodegeneration. This research will suggest novel pathways and prevention options for a growing elderly population with chronic environmental exposures.


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: 2025 ( Subtotal = $139,794 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Environmental Health	000	6	8/11/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$139,794
														Subtotal = $139,794

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $647,862 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Environmental Health	001	5	9/6/2024	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$148,161
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Environmental Health	000	5	9/4/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$499,701
														Subtotal = $647,862

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $774,194 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Environmental Health	001	4	6/27/2023	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$148,161
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Environmental Health	000	4	6/23/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$626,033
														Subtotal = $774,194

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $781,619 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Environmental Health	002	3	6/29/2022	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$0
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Environmental Health	001	3	6/24/2022	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$148,161
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Environmental Health	000	3	6/23/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$633,458
														Subtotal = $781,619

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $799,927 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Environmental Health	000	2	6/22/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$651,766
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90024	LOS ANGELES	USA	Environmental Health	001	2	9/2/2021	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$148,161
														Subtotal = $799,927

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $661,570 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELES	10889 WILSHIRE BLVD STE 700	LOS ANGELES	CA	90095	LOS ANGELES	USA	Environmental Health	000	1	8/15/2020	NEW	$661,570
														Subtotal = $661,570

Grand Total All Awards = $3,804,966

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Microbiome, Environment, and Parkinsons disease (MEP) PESTICIDE EXPOSURES AND THE GUT MICROBIOME IN PARKINSONS DISEASE

Award Number: R01ES031106

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

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

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 08/15/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2026

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