Improving wound healing by enhancing tissue repair mechanisms
Official title: Regulating parenchymal repair in wound healing
Funded at Boston University (Charles River Campus) · NIH-11115732 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study is looking at how we can help your body's healing process after an injury by finding ways to boost the special cells that help tissues repair themselves, so you can recover better and have less scarring.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston University (Charles River Campus) NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2024 |
| Project end | April 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $412,500 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM154942-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11115732 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for this research are adults who have experienced tissue injuries and are seeking better healing outcomes.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with chronic conditions that do not involve acute tissue injuries may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates how to enhance the ability of adult tissues to heal after injury by focusing on the self-renewal capacity of specialized cells called parenchymal cells. These cells are crucial for tissue function but often fail to regenerate effectively, leading to scarring. The project aims to understand the molecular mechanisms that limit the self-renewal of these cells and to develop strategies that could improve healing outcomes. By exploring ways to stimulate these cells, the research hopes to find new methods to promote better recovery from injuries.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved healing processes for patients with injuries, reducing scarring and enhancing tissue regeneration.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown promise in enhancing tissue repair mechanisms, suggesting that this approach could yield significant advancements.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston University (Charles River Campus)
Boston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: O'shea, Timothy Mark — Boston University (Charles River Campus)
- Study coordinator: O'shea, Timothy Mark
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Immunomodulatory therapy to speed up healing after oral cavity injuries in kids
A new approach using a drug called FTY720 aims to improve healing and reduce pain after oral injuries or palate surgery in children.
-
Aiming to slow dangerous lung inflammation to help fight bacterial infections like tuberculosis
A patient-facing program tests whether stopping a specific inflammatory cell (Spp1+ macrophages) from overreacting can help control tuberculosis and possibly improve outcomes in other inflammatory diseases.
-
Engineered protein materials to study wound healing and blood vessels
A researcher team at the University of New England is studying how the environment around a protein changes its behavior to better understand wound healing and blood vessel formation.
-
Understanding how healing tissue uses tiny messengers and scaffolds to repair wounds
A study to learn how cells talk to each other and how tiny vesicles and the extracellular matrix help skin wounds heal better.
-
Hormone signals and sex differences in how wounds heal
This grant explores how male- and female-specific hormones affect wound healing and scarring, with the goal of improving treatments for people who heal poorly.
-
Therapeutic extracellular vesicles to boost skin wound healing
A research grant is exploring how tiny cell messengers called extracellular vesicles can be engineered to improve skin wound repair in injury models.
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.