Monday, February 16, 2026 2/16/2026

Exposome and Precision Medicine in NAFLD

Award Number: R01ES032189
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: 08/28/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2025

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Exposome and Precision Medicine in NAFLD - Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease, and it is often associated with obesity and metabolic disruption. NAFLD has a variable clinical course, and only some patients develop nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and progressive fibrosis which increase mortality. An environmental contribution to NAFLD has previously been demonstrated by special exposure cohort studies and animal models. However, data gaps prevent the clinical application of this emerging environmental health scientific knowledge to impact the clinical care of NAFLD patients through a precision medicine approach. This project proposes a new, high- impact, virtual consortium (the NAFLD-ViCTER) to conduct synergistic, multidisciplinary, translational exposomics research in adult NAFLD patients to address these knowledge gaps. It tests the hypothesis that environmental exposures contribute to NAFLD severity, natural history and response to therapy via hepatic transcriptional reprogramming resulting in metabolic disruption. The consortium is composed of investigators with synergistic expertise and resources from three centers including: Matt Cave (PI, University of Louisville), Naga Chalasani (Co-I, Indiana University), and Dean Jones (Co-I, Emory University). The specific aims are: 1) To determine the environmental exposures associated with adult NAFLD severity in a cross-sectional study. This analytical cross-sectional study with internal comparisons utilizes previously collected, archived, de-identified materials from adult patients with NAFLD characterized by vibration-controlled transient elastography and histology. Untargeted high-resolution exposomics (HRE) will be performed in plasma. Sex differences will be investigated. Exposome-wide association studies (EWAS) vs. NAFLD severity biomarkers will be performed. 2) To elucidate the mechanisms by which environmental exposures increase the severity of NAFLD. This analytical cross-sectional study utilizes materials from Aim 1 along with previously determined genotyping and hepatic mRNA-SEQ data. Untargeted high-resolution metabolomics (HRM) will be performed in plasma. MWAS and transcriptome wide association studies (TWAS) will be performed vs. (i) NAFLD severity biomarkers and (ii) the exposures associated with NAFLD severity using data-driven integrative and pathway analyses. Gene: environment interactions will be examined. 3) To determine the environmental chemicals associated with NASH histologic progression and response to therapy in a longitudinal study. Archived de-identified data and plasma specimens from a previously-published, multi-center, placebo-controlled clinical trial of obeticholic acid for adult NASH will be utilized. Plasma HRE/HRM will be performed and the exposures/metabolic signatures associated with NASH histologic progression and response to therapy will be determined using the placebo and obeticholic acid treated patients, respectively. NAFLD-ViCTER will transform the clinical understanding of the environmental contribution to NAFLD. It will pave the way for precision medicine incorporating exposomics in NAFLD.


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 = -$51,757 )
2026	2022	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Environmental Health	000	3	1/20/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$51,757
														Subtotal = -$51,757

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2025	2022	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Environmental Health	000	3	2/13/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2023	2022	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Environmental Health	000	3	9/29/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $602,978 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Environmental Health	000	3	7/29/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$602,978
														Subtotal = $602,978

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $614,249 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Environmental Health	000	2	8/19/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$614,249
														Subtotal = $614,249

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $654,500 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE	2301 S 3RD ST	LOUISVILLE	KY	40208	JEFFERSON	USA	Environmental Health	000	1	8/27/2020	NEW	$654,500
														Subtotal = $654,500

Grand Total All Awards = $1,819,970

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Exposome and Precision Medicine in NAFLD

Award Number: R01ES032189

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: 08/28/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2025

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer