Collagen Proteostasis: Keeping Collagen Healthy in the Body
Official title: Collagen Proteostasis in Health and Disease
Funded at Massachusetts Institute of Technology · NIH-11400444 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A research project from MIT aims to understand how collagen is folded and quality-checked in healthy people and those with collagen-related diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project start | September 4, 2024 |
| Project end | August 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $632,296 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AR082995-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11400444 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Individuals with collagen-related diseases or conditions affecting connective tissues may benefit from future therapies stemming from this research.
✕Less likely to help
People without collagen-related disorders or without disease-modifying interventions developed from this work may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project studies how cells make and properly process collagen, the body’s main structural protein. By examining the intracellular steps of synthesis, folding, assembly, and quality control, researchers hope to identify why collagen can malfunction in disease. The work may explore how defects in these early steps affect tissues like cartilage and bones, and how improving proteostasis could reduce symptoms. Results could point to new ways to prevent or treat collagen-related conditions by targeting the production process itself.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could lead to therapies that improve tissue strength and reduce disease-causing symptoms by fixing collagen production upstream.
How similar studies have gone: Other studies have shown that targeting protein-folding pathways can influence tissue health, but directly addressing collagen proteostasis is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Shoulders, Matthew Donald — Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Shoulders, Matthew Donald
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.