Title:
Diet-Induced Changes in Inflammation as Determinants of Colon Cancer (New PA)

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Objective of Project:

The goal of this PA concept is to foster research to: 1) identify and characterize diet-induced changes in anti- and pro-inflammatory mediators that modulate colon cancer risk; 2) define genetic polymorphisms that modify the response to specific bioactive food components with regard to colon cancer inhibition; and; 3) determine the physiological effectiveness of dietary components in terms of concentration, activity, duration of exposure, degree of stability, chemical forms, and binding affinity to receptors in inflammatory colonocytes.

Description of Project:

Inflammation is a normal response to tissue injury or infection, but can spiral out of control and result in serious complications, including colon cancer. The various checks and balances within the inflammatory process may be compromised by the quantity and duration of the insult, or a host of genetic and environmental factors including diet. Several epidemiological and pre-clinical studies reveal that specific bioactive food components can suppress colonic inflammation as well as reduce colon cancer risk. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether these diet-induced shifts in the inflammatory process account for their anti-tumorigenic properties in colon cancer. This lack of mechanistic information serves as the basis for this initiative.  This PA proposes R01 (investigator initiated) and R21 (exploratory) grant mechanisms, which is needed to stimulate the submission of innovative and probing applications that will identify and characterize the physiological significance of diet in modulating inflammatory processes involved with colon cancer.