How tiny cell vesicles may cause brain cavernous malformations
Official title: Investigating the intracellular vesicle-mediated mechanism contributing to cerebral cavernous malformation
Funded at University of Virginia · NIH-11483416 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at how changes inside blood-vessel cells in the brain lead to cerebral cavernous malformations, with special attention to people who have CCM3 gene defects.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Virginia NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Charlottesville, United States) |
| Project start | April 1, 2021 |
| Project end | March 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $76,107 |
| NIH project number | 7R01HL157019-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11483416 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People diagnosed with cerebral cavernous malformations, especially those with known CCM3 (Pdcd10) mutations, would be the most relevant group.
✕Less likely to help
People without CCM or those seeking immediate clinical treatment are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this basic laboratory research in the near term.
What this research studies
As a patient, I would learn that researchers are focusing on the CCM3 (Pdcd10) gene because losing it produces more severe brain lesions. They use a specialized mouse model that develops brain vessel lesions in adulthood so they can watch lesion formation live. The team is studying tiny vesicles called caveolae and proteins like caveolin-1 and Angiopoietin-2 to understand how the blood-brain barrier becomes leaky. By defining these steps and testing treatments in mice, they hope to find targets that could lead to new therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could point to new drugs or approaches to protect the blood-brain barrier and prevent lesion growth or bleeding in people with CCM.
How similar studies have gone: Previous lab studies have identified related pathways (such as Angiopoietin-2 secretion and caveolin-1 changes) and established mouse models, but moving these findings into human treatments is still experimental.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Zhou, Jenny Huanjiao — University of Virginia
- Study coordinator: Zhou, Jenny Huanjiao
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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.