How cells that line organs move and build their supporting basement membrane
Mechanisms of epithelial migration and basement membrane assembly
This work looks at how sheets of cells that line organs move together and create the basement membrane that helps organs form, heal, and sometimes lets cancers spread.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Chicago NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chicago, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11261726 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient viewpoint, scientists will watch groups of epithelial cells grown in the lab and in tiny organ-like spheres to see how they move in a coordinated, rotating pattern. They will use high-resolution microscopes and molecular tools to track how cell-to-cell interactions align migration machinery across a tissue. The team will test which molecules and behaviors control both the rotation and the way the basement membrane is laid down. Lessons from these lab models could help explain wound repair, organ development, and processes that allow cancer cells to spread.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with conditions involving epithelial tissues—such as chronic wounds, scarring disorders, or cancers that arise from epithelial cells—could be the eventual beneficiaries and potential candidates for future related trials.
Not a fit: Patients with conditions that do not involve epithelial tissues, such as many blood disorders or purely neurological diseases, are unlikely to benefit directly from this basic laboratory work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new ways to speed wound healing, reduce harmful scarring, or slow cancer spread by targeting how epithelial cells move and assemble their support matrix.
How similar studies have performed: Laboratory studies using organoids and cultured cell sheets have observed rotational behaviors and basement-membrane formation, but translating these findings into patient therapies is still early and largely untested.
Where this research is happening
Chicago, United States
- University of Chicago — Chicago, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Horne-Badovinac, Sally — University of Chicago
- Study coordinator: Horne-Badovinac, Sally
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.