How tissues close gaps during wound healing
Biophysics and Cell Biology of Meso-scale Gap Closure
Researchers are figuring out how sheets of cells move and change to close millimeter-sized gaps so this knowledge can help people heal wounds better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Massachusetts Amherst NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Hadley, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11136971 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
They will build lab models that mimic millimeter-scale gaps in tissues and give some cells partial epithelial-to-mesenchymal changes to reproduce the coordinated movement seen in healing. The team will use live imaging, measurements of tissue mechanics, molecular probes for signals like ERK and p53, and computational models to link cell behavior to physical properties called tissue fluidity. By combining cell biology, biophysics, and modeling, they aim to map how the microenvironment and molecular signals pattern gap closure over space and time. This approach focuses on a new meso-scale gap model that is distinct from well-known crawling or purse-string mechanisms.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with wounds or impaired wound healing (for example, chronic ulcers or slow-healing surgical wounds) would be the patient group most likely to benefit from or be eligible for future related studies.
Not a fit: Patients seeking immediate clinical treatment or those without tissue-wound problems are unlikely to gain direct, immediate benefit from this basic laboratory research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could reveal new targets or strategies to speed or improve wound repair and tissue regeneration.
How similar studies have performed: Prior lab studies have defined cell-crawling and purse-string mechanisms, but applying meso-scale gap models and tissue fluidity concepts with partial EMT is a newer approach with limited direct clinical translation so far.
Where this research is happening
Hadley, United States
- University of Massachusetts Amherst — Hadley, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sun, Yubing — University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Study coordinator: Sun, Yubing
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.