Creating engineered muscle tissue to treat severe muscle loss

Engineering Vascularized Skeletal Muscle for Treatment of Volumetric Muscle Loss

['FUNDING_OTHER'] · VETERANS ADMIN PALO ALTO HEALTH CARE SYS · NIH-11088095

This study is working on a new way to grow healthy muscle tissue with blood vessels to help veterans and others who have lost a lot of muscle from injuries, aiming to help them recover better and regain normal muscle function.

Quick facts

Phase['FUNDING_OTHER']
Study typeNih_funding
SexAll
SponsorVETERANS ADMIN PALO ALTO HEALTH CARE SYS (nih funded)
Locations1 site (PALO ALTO, UNITED STATES)
Trial IDNIH-11088095 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this research studies

This research focuses on developing a new method to create vascularized skeletal muscle tissue to help patients who have experienced significant muscle loss due to traumatic injuries, such as those often seen in military veterans. The approach involves bioengineering muscle tissue that includes both muscle precursor cells and blood vessels, aiming to restore normal muscle function and structure. By mimicking the natural arrangement of muscle and blood vessels, the research seeks to improve recovery outcomes for individuals suffering from volumetric muscle loss.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates for this research are individuals who have experienced volumetric muscle loss due to traumatic injuries, such as veterans or accident victims.

Not a fit: Patients with muscle loss due to non-traumatic causes or those who do not have significant muscle tissue damage may not benefit from this research.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to innovative treatments that significantly improve muscle recovery and function for patients with severe muscle injuries.

How similar studies have performed: While there have been experimental approaches using decellularized scaffolds, this specific method of engineering vascularized muscle tissue is novel and has not been extensively tested.

Where this research is happening

PALO ALTO, UNITED STATES

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.

View on NIH RePORTER →

Last reviewed 2026-05-15 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.