Led by the NIH Office of Autoimmune Disease Research (OADR), the Nutrition for OUR Immune System Health (NOURISH): Autoimmunity Challenge was a national crowdsourcing competition designed to generate innovative ideas that integrate diet and nutrition into autoimmune disease research.
Autoimmune diseases affect more than 8% of the U.S. population, impacting between 23.5 and 50.0 million Americans. Despite their prevalence and significant economic burden, the role of diet and nutrition in autoimmune diseases remain underexplored. Through the NOURISH Autoimmunity Challenge, the NIH invited researchers, clinicians, patients, caregivers, advocacy groups, and interdisciplinary teams to contribute innovative ideas that prioritize scientific rigor and patient-centered outcomes.
The NOURISH Challenge yielded many highly competitive submissions. Fifteen prizes have been awarded, with each winning team receiving $10,000 in recognition of their contributions to advancing the science of autoimmune disease research. In addition, three submissions received Honorable Mention: Community Voice Awards. Thank you to all the patients, caregivers, researchers, clinicians, advocacy groups, and interdisciplinary teams who participated in the NOURISH Autoimmunity Challenge and contributed innovative, scientifically rigorous, and patient-centered ideas to advance Autoimmune Disease Research.
Winning Concepts
The winning entries represent innovative approaches unified by the shared goal of improving understanding of nutrition and its role in autoimmune disease care. Key themes identified in the winning concepts include:
Theme 1: Effectiveness of Dietary Interventions in Autoimmune Disease
This theme included interventional studies testing specific dietary patterns and therapeutic diets in autoimmune disease populations. Submissions in this category suggest evaluation of structured dietary approaches to assess feasibility, clinical outcomes, disease activity, and symptom management, with the goal of generating rigorous evidence to inform future clinical research and care models.
| Submitter | Entry Title |
| Christopher Ray Cheever, Christopher Sayed, Cristina Curp, Ian Carroll, Alice Ammerman, University of North Carolina | Pilot Mediterranean Diet Intervention for Hidradenitis Suppurativa: Assessing Feasibility, Clinical Outcomes, and the Gut-Skin Microbiome Axis |
| Sarah Patterson, Anna Haemel, Danica Cowan, Radhika Gupta, Kaitlyn Hsu, University of California San Francisco | A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating an Anti-Inflammatory Diet (ITIS) in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases through Integrated Education and Telehealth Monitoring Interventions |
| Kathleen Hsu, Lynn Kim, Malavika Venkatesh | Investigation into Multiple Sclerosis Management with Mediterranean diet and Intermittent Fasting with a Dual-Approach Study: A Microbiome Epigenetics and Symptomatic Disease Management Perspective |
| The Myositis Association | Dietary Interventions in Dermatomyositis: Autoimmune Protocol vs. Mediterranean Diet |
| Patricia Porter | The Ancient Whole-Food Anti-Inflammatory Pattern (A-WFAIP): A Nutritional Model for Autoimmune Stability and Gut-Immune Resilience |
Theme 2: Microbiome, Immune, and Multi-Omics Mechanisms
Several concepts focused on mechanistic and biomarker-driven approaches that link diet, the gut microbiome, and immune system activity. These projects recommend leveraging proteomics, microbiome analysis, and other multi-omics technologies to better understand biological pathways through which nutrition may influence autoimmune disease onset, progression, and flares.
| Submitter | Entry Title |
| Enterprise Intake Solutions | MICRO-APS: A Novel Microbiome–Diet Research Methodfor Food-Driven Immune Activationin Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome |
| Jax Bari, Jon Bari, Leslie Bari Celiac Journey | Researching Serum Samples Collected from Celiac Disease Patients in an Acute Flare from Gluten Ingestion Using SomaScan’s Serum Proteomics Technology to Quantify Any Difference that May Exist in Proteomic Levels Between Celiac Patients and Healthy Controls, and Across Patients with Other Inflammatory Diseases |
| mBIOTA | An Elemental Diet for the Modulation of the Microbiome in Rheumatoid Arthritis |
Theme 3: Personalized, Data-Driven, and Predictive Nutrition
Several concepts proposed innovative, data-driven methods for personalization, dietary optimization, and real-world data capture. These approaches integrate patient-reported outcomes, digital health tools, and predictive modeling to improve disease management and enhance the lived experience of people living with autoimmune diseases.
| Submitter | Entry Title |
| National Psoriasis Foundation | Simplex Optimization as an Approach to Personalized Nutrition Research |
| Cena Health | Adaptive, Multi-Modal Tracking of Diet and Immune Activity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease |
| Haneen Hajra | Leveraging Patient-Driven Nutrition Tracking to Identify Dietary Patterns Associated with Autoimmune Flares in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) |
| Vie Ventures | A Cross-Disease Nutrition-Microbiome Early-Warning Platform to Predict and Prevent Autoimmune Flares |
Theme 4: Community Voice, Landscape Assessment, and Patient-Centered Frameworks
Submissions in this theme proposed patient-centered frameworks that bring lived experience to the forefront of the research paradigm. These projects emphasize community engagement and interdisciplinary collaboration, including the involvement of people living with autoimmune diseases, caregivers, clinicians, and advocacy organizations to help shape research priorities, outcomes, and approaches that are meaningful to patients.
| Submitter | Entry Title |
| Open Hand Atlanta | Utilization of Medical Nutrition Therapy to Identify Dietary Patterns and Autoimmune Disease Progression |
| Farnoosh Shemirani, Christine Gill, Samira Malik, Marcelo L. Correia, Tyler Titcomb, Linda Snetselaar, M. Nedim Ince, Terry Wahls | The Role of Nutrition in Autoimmune Diseases: A Scoping Review of Dietary Strategies for Symptom Management and Improving Quality of Life |
| Marie Anette Khoury | A Case-Supported Model for Autoimmune Symptom Relief: Translating Lived Experience into Nutritional Intervention |
Honorable Mentions: Community Voice Awards
The evaluation committee also identified three entries that demonstrated exceptional creativity, a strong commitment to the NOURISH Autoimmunity Challenge, meaningful integration of the patient experience, and potential for significant positive impact. The committee wishes to recognize the hard work and innovation of these submissions by awarding non-monetary Community Voice honorable mention awards.
| Submitter | Entry Title |
| Brianna Watson, Halima White, David Bowman, Howard University College of Medicine | Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus and Dietary Interventions |
| Amera Edith Wheat | Preventing Hypoglycemia in Type 1 Diabetes, Using an Automated Glucose Dispensing System Called GlucoFlow |
| Trescott LLC | Patient-Driven Insights into the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) Diet: A Cross-Sectional Survey of Real-World Implementation, Barriers, and Outcomes in Autoimmune Disease |
To learn more, watch the recording of the NOURISH Autoimmunity Challenge Winner’s Webinar, available at www.nourishchallenge.org
Read the HHS press release: https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-awards-top-scientific-teams-innovations-linking-nutrition-autoimmune-disease
Additional information on NIH ORWH site: https://orwh.od.nih.gov/in-the-spotlight/winners-of-nutrition-for-our-immune-system-health-nourish-autoimmunity-challenge
