Tailored exosome therapy for severe muscle loss
Official title: Bioengineering of Customized Exosomes as a Cell-free Therapy for Volumetric Muscle Loss Injuries Proposal
Funded at Cleveland State University · NIH-11145967 · Data updated 2026-11-12
The team will develop customized exosomes from stimulated fat-derived stem cells to help regenerate muscle in people with large traumatic or surgical muscle loss.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R03 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cleveland State University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cleveland, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $74,250 |
| NIH project number | 5R03EB036096-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11145967 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates would be people with significant volumetric muscle loss from trauma or surgery who are medically stable and seeking regenerative options.
✕Less likely to help
People with minor muscle injuries, active infections, uncontrolled medical conditions, or those not eligible for regenerative interventions may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
If I had a large traumatic or surgical muscle loss, this project aims to create tiny, cell-free particles called exosomes that can encourage new muscle growth. Researchers will pre-condition fat-derived stem cells using controlled piezoelectric stimulation so the exosomes they release carry signals that promote muscle formation. The work is a lab-based pilot to characterize these customized exosomes and test their effects on muscle cells and tissue models. The goal is a safer, non-cell transplant approach that may avoid immune rejection problems seen with cell therapies.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to a non-cellular treatment that helps rebuild functional muscle after severe injuries while lowering the risk of immune rejection.
How similar studies have gone: Preclinical studies of exosomes show promise for muscle repair, but the specific strategy of piezoelectric-stimulated, customized exosomes is novel and untested in humans.
Where this research is happening
-
Cleveland State University
Cleveland, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sikder, Prabaha — Cleveland State University
- Study coordinator: Sikder, Prabaha
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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.