How cells fuse during development and repair
Decoding the mechanisms of cell-cell fusion - Renewal - 1
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER · NIH-11330467
Researchers are learning how cells fuse during fertilization, bone remodeling, immune responses, and muscle repair to help people with infertility, bone disorders, and muscle diseases.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (DALLAS, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11330467 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
From a patient viewpoint, scientists are watching how individual cells come together using fruit fly muscle cells and engineered lab-grown cells. They combine genetics, biochemistry, biophysics, and advanced imaging (including live and super-resolution microscopy) to see the events that drive membranes to merge. The team also recreates high-efficiency fusion in otherwise non-fusing cells to pinpoint the proteins and forces that promote fusion. Knowledge gained is meant to guide future approaches to fix fusion-related problems in humans.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This grant is laboratory research and does not enroll patients, but people affected by infertility, osteopetrosis, immune deficiencies, or muscle diseases might benefit from therapies inspired by the findings in the future.
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate treatments are unlikely to benefit directly because the project focuses on basic lab-based research rather than clinical testing.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to treat conditions caused by failed cell fusion, such as some infertility cases, certain bone diseases like osteopetrosis, immune defects, and muscle disorders.
How similar studies have performed: Previous lab studies in model organisms and cell systems have identified key proteins and invasive membrane behaviors involved in fusion, but applying these findings to human therapies remains largely untested.
Where this research is happening
DALLAS, UNITED STATES
- UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER — DALLAS, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: CHEN, ELIZABETH H — UT SOUTHWESTERN MEDICAL CENTER
- Study coordinator: CHEN, ELIZABETH H
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.
Conditions: Albers-Schoenberg Disease, Albers-Schonberg disease