Guiding brain repair after stroke using blood vessels
Neuroregeneration after stroke using Vascular Guidance
This project aims to help adults who have had a stroke by reprogramming brain blood-vessel cells to guide transplanted repair cells to survive and rebuild damaged brain tissue.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11180472 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers will reprogram adult brain blood-vessel (endothelial) cells to switch on genes normally active during brain development so the vessels act as guides for repair cells. They will run laboratory migration tests to see whether neural progenitor cells move toward and survive near these reprogrammed vessels. The team will use stroke models to measure neural progenitor survival, differentiation, and impacts on tissue repair and behavior. Results could point to combining vascular rejuvenation with cell transplantation to improve thinking and movement after stroke.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults who have experienced an ischemic stroke and who might be candidates for future neural progenitor cell transplant trials.
Not a fit: People without stroke, those with non-neurological conditions, or patients who are not candidates for cell-based therapies are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could improve survival and targeting of transplanted neural progenitor cells after stroke, potentially leading to better movement and cognitive recovery.
How similar studies have performed: Related cell-transplant and vascular-targeting strategies have shown promising results in animal studies but remain largely unproven in humans, so this approach is mostly at the preclinical stage.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Thankamani Pandit, Peeyush Kumar — University of Texas Hlth Sci Ctr Houston
- Study coordinator: Thankamani Pandit, Peeyush Kumar
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.