Repairing diabetic stem cells to improve leg blood flow and muscle and nerve healing
Official title: Molecular Repair of Diabetic Mesenchymal Stem Cells (dMSC) for Peripheral Arterial Disease
Funded at Cincinnati VA Medical Center Research · NIH-11247938 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project aims to fix patients' own diabetic stem cells so they can better heal muscle and nerve damage from peripheral artery disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cincinnati VA Medical Center Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cincinnati, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2020 |
| Project end | September 30, 2028 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01BX004707-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11247938 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with diabetes and peripheral arterial disease who have ischemic muscle damage, walking impairment, or nerve-related loss of function, particularly Veterans treated at VA centers.
✕Less likely to help
People without diabetes or without peripheral artery disease, and those with extensive irreversible tissue loss, are unlikely to receive direct benefit from these therapies.
What this research studies
Researchers will study mesenchymal stem cells taken from people with diabetes to find molecular (epigenetic) changes that limit healing, using methods such as ATAC-seq to map how DNA packaging affects cell function. They will define how different macrophage (immune) types help or hinder re-innervation of new muscle and how diabetes changes those interactions. The team will test ways to reprogram or repair these diabetic stem cells and to direct macrophages toward patterns that promote nerve and muscle recovery, with the goal of developing autologous (your own) cell therapies. Work will include laboratory and preclinical models aimed at therapies that could be translated to patient care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could restore blood flow and muscle function in limbs affected by diabetic peripheral artery disease, improving walking ability and reducing the risk of amputation.
How similar studies have gone: Related mesenchymal stem cell therapies for PAD have shown promising but mixed results, while epigenetic repair of diabetic stem cells and macrophage-targeting for re-innervation is a newer and less-tested approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Cincinnati VA Medical Center Research
Cincinnati, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Brewster, Luke Packard — Cincinnati VA Medical Center Research
- Study coordinator: Brewster, Luke Packard
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Contrast-free ultrasound to measure tiny blood flow in legs to help PAD
A noninvasive ultrasound approach uses new metrics to quantify microvascular blood flow in the lower leg to aid in diagnosing and managing peripheral arterial disease.
-
Understanding Spp1+ Macrophages and Muscle Healing in Peripheral Artery Disease
This grant supports a physician-scientist in Duke's vascular surgery program to study how a specific macrophage type called Spp1+ macrophages affect muscle healing in people with peripheral artery disease.
-
Reprogrammed Monocytes for improved blood vessel growth in leg PAD
A study to see if reprogramming a patient’s own monocytes can boost new blood vessel growth and improve limb health in people with peripheral artery disease.
-
Targeting Dhcr24 in monocytes to boost blood vessel growth in critical limb ischemia
This grant explores a new way to help people with severe leg artery disease by making certain immune cells grow more blood vessels to improve blood flow.
-
Carnosine and improved leg function in peripheral artery disease
This grant tests whether taking carnosine can improve leg function for people with peripheral artery disease.
-
Understanding how CKD worsens leg artery disease at the cellular level
This grant explores why people with chronic kidney disease have faster, more severe peripheral artery disease and how specific cellular pathways contribute to worse blood flow and limb risk.
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.