Nanoparticles that protect healing proteins for chronic leg, foot, and pressure wounds
Official title: Protease Resistant Growth Factor Nanoparticles for Chronic Wound Healing
Funded at University of South Florida · NIH-11326716 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project develops nanoparticles that protect growth-factor proteins to help older adults with venous leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, or pressure sores heal better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of South Florida NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Tampa, United States) |
| Project start | May 15, 2023 |
| Project end | April 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $353,354 |
| NIH project number | 5R33AG077426-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11326716 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are older adults with chronic, non-healing venous leg ulcers, diabetic foot ulcers, or pressure ulcers that have not responded to standard care.
✕Less likely to help
People with acute surgical wounds, uncontrolled severe infections, or wounds driven mainly by blood flow or mechanical issues that growth factors cannot address may not benefit from this therapy.
What this research studies
Many chronic wounds in older adults contain high levels of enzymes that quickly break down therapeutic growth factors, making those treatments ineffective. The researchers created nanoparticles that carry growth factors and shield them from enzyme (protease) degradation, and they have shown these particles prolong growth factor life in human chronic wound fluid and improve healing in diabetic mice. This project continues development of those protease-resistant nanoparticles and prepares them for eventual use on human chronic wounds. The team aims to move the technology toward clinical testing if laboratory results remain promising.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the nanoparticles could keep healing proteins active longer at the wound site, helping chronic wounds close faster and potentially reducing the need for surgeries or amputations.
How similar studies have gone: Growth-factor therapies have worked in animal models but have largely failed in people due to enzyme degradation, so using nanoparticles to protect growth factors is promising but still early-stage and largely preclinical.
Where this research is happening
-
University of South Florida
Tampa, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Koria, Piyush — University of South Florida
- Study coordinator: Koria, Piyush
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.