How immune cell metabolism helps wounds heal
Official title: Metabolic regulation of macrophage-dependent wound healing in vivo
Funded at Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences · NIH-11172658 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are seeing whether changing the metabolism of immune cells can help wounds heal better for people with chronic wounds or inflammatory diseases.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Newark, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | May 5, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $249,000 |
| NIH project number | 5R00GM138699-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11172658 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with chronic non-healing wounds or inflammatory conditions (for example certain autoimmune diseases, atherosclerotic complications, or inflammation-associated cancers) are the kinds of patients who might ultimately benefit from this research.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with acute minor injuries that heal normally or conditions not driven by macrophage inflammation are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this specific line of research.
What this research studies
From a patient viewpoint, scientists will watch immune cells called macrophages in live animals to see how their metabolism changes during wound healing using a special imaging method that measures cell metabolism in real time. They will use zebrafish as a live model and look at metabolic signals (NAD(P)H and FAD) without disturbing the cells’ natural environment. The team will alter key metabolic regulators (Irg1, Stat3, and mitochondrial reactive oxygen) and analyze metabolites from wounded tissue to understand how those changes affect healing. Results aim to point toward new ways to reduce harmful inflammation and improve healing in chronic wounds and other macrophage-driven conditions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new treatments that target immune cell metabolism to speed healing and reduce damaging inflammation in chronic wounds and inflammatory diseases.
How similar studies have gone: Laboratory studies suggest changing macrophage metabolism can alter inflammation, but solid in vivo evidence is limited and the real-time metabolic imaging approach is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
Newark, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Miskolci, Veronika — Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Miskolci, Veronika
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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.