Helping muscle stem cells share healthy mitochondria to improve muscle repair
Official title: Mitochondrial biogenesis and transfer to promote muscle regeneration
Funded at Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco · NIH-11213914 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project tests whether nudging muscle stem cells to make and donate healthy mitochondria can help repair muscle in people with muscle-wasting conditions like ALS.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Francisco, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2023 |
| Project end | September 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX006098-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11213914 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with muscle-wasting conditions such as ALS or other disorders that cause muscle degeneration who can travel to participating centers or donate muscle samples would be the most relevant candidates for related future studies.
✕Less likely to help
Those without muscle-wasting disorders or people seeking an immediate clinical therapy are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this preclinical research.
What this research studies
Researchers will work with fibroadipoprogenitors (FAPs), a type of muscle stem cell, to trigger a beige-fat-like state that may boost mitochondrial production and enable mitochondria transfer to damaged muscle. They will use lab experiments and animal models to examine how beta-agonists and short bouts of reduced blood flow stimulate mitochondrial biogenesis and formation of tunneling nanotubes. The team will characterize the donated mitochondria and measure effects on muscle cell growth, differentiation, and commitment to repair. Results will help determine whether enhancing mitochondrial transfer from FAPs is a feasible route to improve muscle regeneration.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new treatments that strengthen muscle repair and slow wasting in ALS and other degenerative muscle conditions.
How similar studies have gone: Related lab and animal studies of mitochondrial transfer and stem-cell-mediated rescue have shown promise, but this approach remains early and unproven in humans.
Where this research is happening
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Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco
San Francisco, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Feeley, Brian — Veterans Affairs Med Ctr San Francisco
- Study coordinator: Feeley, Brian
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.