Lab-grown blood vessel cells to help legs with poor circulation from peripheral artery disease
Official title: Improving Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Endothelial Cells as Therapy for Peripheral Arterial Disease
Funded at Veterans Admin Palo Alto Health Care Sys · NIH-11206885 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Trying a special type of stem-cell–derived blood vessel cell, improved for mitochondrial health, to restore blood flow and reduce limb loss in people with severe peripheral artery disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Admin Palo Alto Health Care Sys NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Palo Alto, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5IK2BX006275-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11206885 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with advanced peripheral artery disease who have poor leg blood flow and are at high risk of major amputation, including older veterans, would be the likely future candidates.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without ischemic PAD, those whose limb loss is due to non-vascular causes, or those needing immediate surgical intervention are unlikely to benefit from this preclinical work.
What this research studies
Researchers grow endothelial cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-ECs) and treat them to boost mitochondrial repair pathways. They will test these treated cells in aged animal models of limb ischemia to see if they improve blood vessel regeneration, blood flow, and limb function. The team focuses on a drug (Rg2) that stimulates mitophagy through the HIF-1α/VEGF-A pathway to make the cells work better. The goal is to develop a renewable, scalable cell therapy approach that could one day prevent amputations in advanced PAD.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to therapies that restore leg blood flow, improve limb function, and lower the need for major amputations in advanced PAD.
How similar studies have gone: Related approaches using iPSC-derived endothelial cells and mitophagy stimulation have shown promising results in mouse models but have not yet been proven in people.
Where this research is happening
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Veterans Admin Palo Alto Health Care Sys
Palo Alto, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Hekman, Katherine Elizabeth — Veterans Admin Palo Alto Health Care Sys
- Study coordinator: Hekman, Katherine Elizabeth
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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.