Tiny cell-made packages that help skin wounds heal
Mechanisms of extracellular vesicle biogenesis that regulate wound healing
This project changes tiny cell-made packets (extracellular vesicles) to help skin heal faster, especially for people with slow or non-healing wounds.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of California, San Diego NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (La Jolla, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11168842 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers study extracellular vesicles — tiny packets cells send each other — to learn how they form, what healing cargo they carry, and which wound cells take them up. They use genetic tools to reprogram how these vesicles are made and to load them with proteins that promote repair. Engineered vesicles are tested in well-established skin wound models and the team maps interactions between immune and epithelial cells in the wound bed. The long-term aim is to create EV-based therapies that restore proper healing in impaired wounds.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates for future related trials would be people with chronic or slow-healing skin wounds, such as diabetic foot ulcers, venous stasis ulcers, or other impaired cutaneous healing.
Not a fit: People without skin-wound problems or those needing immediate treatment for acute injuries are unlikely to benefit directly from this research in the near term.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new therapies using engineered extracellular vesicles to speed healing of chronic or hard-to-heal skin wounds.
How similar studies have performed: Preclinical studies have shown that extracellular vesicles can aid tissue repair in animal models, but engineering specific therapeutic EV payloads and targeting uptake is a newer and still-developing approach.
Where this research is happening
La Jolla, United States
- University of California, San Diego — La Jolla, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Eliceiri, Brian P — University of California, San Diego
- Study coordinator: Eliceiri, Brian P
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 below.