Engineered skin and soft-tissue flaps for reconstructive repair
Development of engineered fasciocutaneous skin flaps
Growing blood-vessel-containing, patient-matched skin and soft-tissue flaps to fix complex wounds and deformities.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Massachusetts General Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11310798 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you have a complex tissue defect from injury, a birth difference, or cancer surgery, this project aims to grow replacement skin-and-soft-tissue flaps using your own cells and 3-D biomaterials. The team will design shaped scaffolds, seed them with patient-derived cells, and promote blood-vessel formation so the flap can survive when transferred into the body. These engineered flaps will be tested in laboratory experiments and animal models to confirm they are blood-compatible, durable, and anatomically accurate. The long-term aim is to offer grafts that avoid donor-site damage and reduce or eliminate the need for toxic immunosuppression.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with moderate to severe composite soft-tissue defects from trauma, congenital differences, or cancer surgery would be the ideal candidates for this approach.
Not a fit: Patients with small or purely superficial skin wounds, or those unsuitable for engineered-tissue procedures, are unlikely to benefit in the near term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could provide anatomically matched, vascularized grafts that repair complex defects without harming donor sites or requiring lifelong immunosuppression.
How similar studies have performed: Tissue-engineering and vascularized composite allograft work have shown promise in animals and limited clinical settings, but patient-specific vascularized fasciocutaneous flaps are still largely experimental.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Massachusetts General Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Uygun, Basak Elif — Massachusetts General Hospital
- Study coordinator: Uygun, Basak Elif
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.