DIETARY STRATEGIES TO REDUCE COLONIC INFLAMMATION AND PROMOTE GUT HOMEOSTASIS MAY REDUCE RISK OF COLITIS-ASSOCIATED COLORECTAL CANCER (CAC). BIOACTIVES IN BLACK RASPBERRIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED PROTECTIVE EFFECTS AGAINST COLITIS AND/OR COLORECTAL CANCER VIA THEIR ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIONS. HOWEVER, THERE REMAINS A SUBSTANTIAL KNOWLEDGE GAP REGARDING THE ROLE OF THE GUT MICROBIOME IN MEDIATING THE PURPORTED HEALTH BENEFITS OF BLACK RASPBERRIES. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY IS TO DETERMINE THE DIRECT EFFECTS OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION WITH WHOLE, FREEZE-DRIED BLACK RASPBERRIES ON GUT HEALTH, INCLUDING MEASURES OF COLITIS, PROGRESSION TO COLON TUMORIGENESIS AND COMPOSITION OF THE GUT MICROBIOME. WE PROPOSE AN INTEGRATED, TRANSLATIONAL APPROACH USING A MOUSE MODEL OF CAC THAT INCORPORATES A PRUDENT DIET AND A WESTERN TYPE DIET (WITH RESPECT TO BOTH MACRO- AND MICRONUTRIENT COMPOSITION) AS PART OF THE EXPERIMENT DESIGN AND THAT CONSIDERS THE ROLE OF ROLE OF GUT BACTERIAIN HEALTH MAINTENANCE AND/OR DISEASE DEVELOPMENT. OUR SPECIFIC AIMS ARE: 1) DETERMINE THE IMPACT OF DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION WITH BLACK RASPBERRIES ON COLITIS, CAC AND COMPOSITION OF THE GUT MICROBIOME IN MICE FED THE TOTAL WESTERN DIET OR AIN93G DIET; AND 2) DETERMINE THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE GUT MICROBIOME TO THE OBSERVED HEALTH BENEFITS OF BRB, AND ASSESS THE CAPACITY FOR BRB-CONDITIONED GUT MICROBIOTA TO PROTECT HOST MICE AGAINST COLITIS AND CAC FOLLOWING MOUSE-TO-MOUSE FECAL TRANSFER.