How tissue fibers control blood vessel growth and repair
Matrix biophysics and pericyte mechanobiology in (patho)physiological angiogenesis
This work looks at how tiny fibers around blood vessels influence support cells so new blood vessels can form, aiming to help people with damaged or blocked small vessels.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11327632 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers grow pericytes — the support cells that sit around blood vessels — into 3D clusters and place them on different natural and synthetic fibrous materials to watch how the cells change. They change the fiber size, architecture, and stiffness and use imaging and force-measurement tools to track cell shape, movement, protrusions, and nuclear changes. The team links these material properties to whether pericytes adopt endothelial-like behaviors that build vessel structures. Most work is in controlled lab models with the goal of designing scaffolds that encourage new vessel growth in damaged tissues.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with damaged or poorly healing tissues due to microvascular disease — for example after myocardial infarction, in peripheral artery disease, or with diabetic foot ulcers — would be the likely long-term beneficiaries.
Not a fit: Patients whose problems are not caused by local microvascular damage (for example acute surgical emergencies, some genetic vascular malformations, or systemic inflammatory diseases) may not directly benefit from this basic-materials research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to engineered scaffolds or treatments that restore blood flow and improve healing in heart attacks, diabetic wounds, peripheral artery disease, and other microvascular problems.
How similar studies have performed: Previous laboratory and animal work shows that biomaterial structure can guide vessel growth and that pericytes can be plastic in 3D settings, but moving these findings into human therapies is still early and experimental.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Phillippi, Julie a — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Phillippi, Julie a
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.