Donor mitochondrial material to help blood vessel cells repair after heart attack or severe limb ischemia
Enhancing endothelial cell engraftment via transplantation of exogenous mitochondria
This approach gives mitochondrial material to lab-grown blood vessel cells to help them survive and rebuild tiny blood vessels for people who have had heart attacks or critical limb ischemia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston Children's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11292694 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are making blood vessel cells from a patient’s own stem cells and trying to boost their survival and function by giving them mitochondria (the cell’s energy parts) from donor cells. They plan to engineer donor mitochondria to carry a stable signal (PINK1) that triggers the recipient cells to clear and replace damaged mitochondria, improving cell energy and engraftment. Because donor mitochondria seem to act as short-lived triggers rather than becoming permanent parts of the recipient cells, the team will also test nanoparticles wrapped in mitochondrial membranes as a more stable, scalable way to get the same benefit. The work is being developed in the lab with the goal of improving small-vessel repair after ischemic injuries.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People who have had a myocardial infarction (heart attack) or critical limb ischemia and need better therapies to restore microvascular blood flow would be the most relevant candidates.
Not a fit: Patients with conditions unrelated to blood vessel or ischemic injury, or whose problem is limited to large blocked arteries that are already treatable with surgery, are unlikely to benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could help restore tiny blood vessels and improve blood flow and healing after heart attacks or severe limb ischemia.
How similar studies have performed: Previous lab work showed mitochondrial transfer can improve endothelial cell engraftment in primary cells, but applying engineered mitochondria and mitochondrial-membrane nanoparticles to iPSC-derived endothelial cells is a novel extension.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Boston Children's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Melero-Martin, Juan M — Boston Children's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Melero-Martin, Juan M
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 below.