Olumuyiwa Awoniyi, MD, PhD

Pilot Research Award
$50,000 over one year

Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Patient-Derived Microbiota Impact on Axenic PSC-IBD Model

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a chronic liver disease that often co-occurs with ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Patients with this PSC-IBD combination face a higher risk of colon cancer and liver complications. Unfortunately, we do not fully understand why this happens or how gut bacteria might be involved. This project will use a special mouse model of PSC-IBD that has no germs of its own (germ-free mice) to find out how human gut bacteria influence disease. We will take stool (which contains gut microbiota) from PSC-IBD patients and healthy people and introduce these microbes into the germ-free PSC-IBD mice. By observing the mice’s colon inflammation, early cancer-like changes (dysplasia), and liver damage, we can see if the patient-derived microbes make the disease better or worse. This research could reveal important links between specific bacteria and PSC-IBD severity. In one year, this pilot study will produce initial results that help us design broader studies to better define microbial contributions to disease and potential therapies – for example, beneficial microbial therapies or targeted antibiotics – to improve the health of PSC-IBD patients. Ultimately, this work sets the stage for larger studies and brings us closer to personalized microbiome-based therapies for PSC-IBD.