Understanding How Diabetes Affects Bone Marrow and Foot Ulcers
Dissecting the Human Diabetic Bone Marrow Niche
This project looks at how diabetes changes the bone marrow, which might help us find better ways to heal diabetic foot ulcers and prevent amputations.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Career grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Worcester, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11137686 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
The grant aims to understand why diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) are so hard to heal, often leading to amputations. Researchers believe that type 2 diabetes affects the immune system's ability to heal wounds, and this immune system starts in the bone marrow. They are studying bone marrow cells from people with and without type 2 diabetes who have had lower leg amputations. By growing these cells together, they hope to learn how diabetes changes the bone marrow environment and affects immune cell development, especially focusing on fat cells in the bone marrow.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: This research is relevant to patients with Type 2 diabetes who experience diabetic foot ulcers, particularly those at risk for amputation.
Not a fit: Patients without Type 2 diabetes or those not experiencing diabetic foot ulcers would not directly benefit from this specific research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new treatments that improve wound healing for diabetic foot ulcers and reduce the need for amputations.
How similar studies have performed: This approach of studying the human diabetic bone marrow niche directly is novel and aims to uncover fundamental mechanisms not yet fully understood.
Where this research is happening
Worcester, United States
- Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester — Worcester, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nguyen, Tammy Tran — Univ of Massachusetts Med Sch Worcester
- Study coordinator: Nguyen, Tammy Tran
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.