Navigating damaged tissue: how cells use topographical clues to move
Official title: Navigating the Heterogeneous ECM via Topographical Priming
Funded at Rochester Institute of Technology · NIH-11425009 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This grant studies how healthy or diseased cells find their way through complex tissue by learning to remember guidance cues from the environment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Rochester Institute of Technology NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Rochester, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2026 |
| Project end | August 30, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $575,784 |
| NIH project number | 1R16GM165482-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11425009 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with cancers or tissue conditions where cell movement in messy ECM is a concern, potentially informing future therapies.
✕Less likely to help
Direct patient benefit may be limited until translational steps are developed.
What this research studies
Cells move through tissues by following directional cues in the extracellular matrix, but when those cues are broken or scattered, movement becomes unpredictable. The project will test a new idea called topographical priming, where a brief encounter with aligned fibrous patterns sets up a lasting migratory memory. Using microfabricated environments, researchers will measure how long this memory lasts in two and three dimensions and identify the cellular mechanisms, including actin and ROCK signaling, that sustain it. The work aims to map how ECM architecture shapes cell movement, with potential implications for understanding cancer progression and tissue repair.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could reveal how cancer cells spread through damaged tissues and suggest strategies to disrupt their migratory memory.
How similar studies have gone: Prior work suggests that environmental cues can bias cell migration, but this project tests a novel priming mechanism that could be transformative.
Where this research is happening
-
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Abhyankar, Vinay V — Rochester Institute of Technology
- Study coordinator: Abhyankar, Vinay V
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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.