How tiny exosome packages help heart cells signal after injury

Exosomes as mediators of cardiac injury and repair

NIH-funded research Temple Univ of the Commonwealth · NIH-11098628

Researchers are looking at tiny particles called exosomes to learn how heart cells talk to each other after injury so people with heart damage might heal better.

Quick facts

Grant typeP01 program project
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionTemple Univ of the Commonwealth NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Philadelphia, United States)
Project IDNIH-11098628 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

If you take part, researchers would study tiny membrane bubbles called exosomes that heart cells release after injury and see how those messages affect healing. They will compare exosomes from injured and healthy heart tissue and examine effects on cells in the heart and in distant organs like bone marrow and fat. Lab experiments on cells and tissue samples will be used to track how those signals change after injury. The goal is to find specific exosome signals that could be targeted to improve recovery after a heart attack.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal candidates are people who have experienced recent heart injury (for example a heart attack) or who can donate relevant blood or tissue samples for research.

Not a fit: People without heart injury or those unwilling to provide samples are unlikely to receive direct benefit from this project.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: This work could point to new ways to help the heart repair itself after injury.

How similar studies have performed: Early research shows exosomes can carry helpful or harmful signals after heart damage, but turning that into patient treatments is still new and largely unproven.

Where this research is happening

Philadelphia, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.