Boost umbilical cord blood stem cells with PPAR‑alpha medicines
Official title: Expand human umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cells with PPAR-a agonists
Funded at Coriell Institute for Medical Research · NIH-11187213 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses PPAR‑alpha activating drugs to grow more blood‑forming stem cells from stored umbilical cord blood to help people who need stem cell transplants.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Coriell Institute for Medical Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Camden, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $127,501 |
| NIH project number | 5R21HL175169-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11187213 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People who need hematopoietic stem cell transplantation—such as patients with leukemia, lymphoma, or severe bone marrow failure—would be the group most likely to benefit from higher‑dose cord blood grafts.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose conditions are not treated with stem cell transplant or who are ineligible for transplantation are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this lab work.
What this research studies
If you or a loved one needs a hematopoietic stem cell transplant, this work aims to increase the number of transplantable stem cells taken from stored umbilical cord blood. Researchers will work in the lab with cryopreserved cord blood units from an NHLBI biorepository and expose cells to PPAR‑alpha agonists alongside established culture factors. They will measure whether treated samples produce more functional hematopoietic stem cells using laboratory assays. The goal is to develop methods that could later be used to make cord blood grafts safer and more widely available.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could increase usable stem cell doses from cord blood, speed recovery after transplant, reduce graft failure, and expand access to transplants for more patients.
How similar studies have gone: Prior laboratory studies have expanded cord blood stem cells with cytokine cocktails and small molecules with promising lab results, but applying PPAR‑alpha agonists for this purpose is relatively new and not yet proven in patients.
Where this research is happening
-
Coriell Institute for Medical Research
Camden, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Huang, Jian — Coriell Institute for Medical Research
- Study coordinator: Huang, Jian
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.