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

Mechanisms for environmental microplastics-enhanced colorectal tumor progression

Award Number: R01ES035780
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: 08/16/2024
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2029

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Mechanisms for environmental microplastics-enhanced colorectal tumor progression - Project Summary In response to the Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) NOT-ES-23-002, our research addresses the urgent concern of escalating plastic pollution. Despite numerous reports indicating the ubiquitous presence of plastics in the environment and growing global concern for ecosystems and human health, plastic production and use continue to grow unabatedly. Humans are exposed to plastic particles mainly through ingestion of contaminated food or water, through inhalation, or through skin contact. Humans consume up to 5g (weight of a credit card) microplastics weekly, and colonic epithelial cells will face the brunt of this toxic exposure. Recent studies provide evidence for the accumulation of microplastics in multiple human organs including the colon. Toxic exposure to microplastics has been linked to the disruption of colonic epithelial cell structure and function. Moreover, studies in different preclinical models including mice indicate that microplastics exposure leads to various adverse intestinal effects including inflammation, barrier dysfunction, and microbial imbalance. Long-standing intestinal inflammation and oxidative stress increase the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) development. However, to date, there have been no studies investigating the influence of microplastics on colon tumor growth and metastasis in vivo. Thus, investigation into the potential association between the environmental microplastics exposure and the risk of CRC is merited. Our objective is to unveil the molecular mechanisms linking microplastics exposure to CRC. We hypothesize that microplastics trigger PIEZO1- dependent oxidative stress and hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-3α signaling, promoting CRC progression. Our hypothesis is based on our data showing that different microplastics consistently and dramatically promote oxidative stress in a mechanosensing ion channel PIEZO1 dependent manner. Moreover, microplastics activate HIF-3α signaling, which drives growth, migration, and metastasis of colon tumors in preclinical models. The proposal highlights the unique PIEZO1 trigger (Aim 1) and the immediate downstream HIF-3α signaling (Aim 2) of oxidative stress, integrating human relevance through archived colon tissues from New Mexico's diverse and underprivileged population, as well as human colonoids (both normal and tumor, Aim 3). These goals aim to enhance our comprehension of the fundamental mechanisms underlying microplastics' toxicity and identify actionable elements for community-level disease prevention and treatment.


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 = $460,899 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO	1 UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO	ALBUQUERQUE	NM	87131	BERNALILLO	USA	Environmental Health	000	3	7/7/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$460,899
														Subtotal = $460,899

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $455,453 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO	1 UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO	ALBUQUERQUE	NM	87131	BERNALILLO	USA	Environmental Health	000	2	8/4/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$455,453
														Subtotal = $455,453

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $453,688 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO	1 UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO	ALBUQUERQUE	NM	87131	BERNALILLO	USA	Environmental Health	000	1	8/16/2024	NEW	$453,688
														Subtotal = $453,688

Grand Total All Awards = $1,370,040

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Mechanisms for environmental microplastics-enhanced colorectal tumor progression

Award Number: R01ES035780

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: 08/16/2024

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 07/31/2029

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer