Growing blood vessels to help repair damaged salivary glands
Therapeutic vascularization to support repair of damaged salivary glands
This project tries two ways—implanting vascular cells and giving a drug that boosts blood-vessel growth—to help damaged salivary glands heal for people with gland injury.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Louisville NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Louisville, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11300106 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are working to improve repair of salivary glands by encouraging formation of functional blood vessels that keep replacement tissue alive. In mice, they will test two therapies alone and together: implanting supportive vascular cells and giving a medicine that promotes angiogenesis. Lab cell experiments will track the cellular and molecular steps by which blood vessels form under each approach. The goal is to learn which approach or combination best restores blood flow and tissue healing in a biopsy wound model.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with damaged salivary glands—such as from radiation therapy, autoimmune conditions, or injury—that cause dry mouth could be the eventual candidates for therapies developed from this work.
Not a fit: People without salivary gland damage or with unrelated medical problems are unlikely to benefit from these specific vascularization therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these methods could improve survival of repaired or engineered salivary tissue and help restore saliva production and oral comfort for people with gland damage.
How similar studies have performed: Angiogenesis and cell-implantation approaches have shown promise in other tissues and some early work supports vascular support for gland repair, but combining implanted vascular cells with systemic angiogenic drugs in salivary gland repair is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Louisville, United States
- University of Louisville — Louisville, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sandell, Lisa L — University of Louisville
- Study coordinator: Sandell, Lisa L
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.