Understanding how epithelial tubes form and stay intact in sea-star and other animals
Official title: Mechanisms of epithelial tube development, orientation and integrity
Funded at Marine Biological Laboratory · NIH-11376554 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new NIH grant will study how tiny tubes in tissues are built and kept healthy, using sea star models to learn science that could impact human organ development.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Marine Biological Laboratory NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Woods Hole, United States) |
| Project start | August 1, 2025 |
| Project end | May 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $471,625 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM159833-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11376554 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This grant is not a patient-enrollment trial; it focuses on basic biology in model organisms.
✕Less likely to help
Participants would not be recruited for this study as described.
What this research studies
This project uses the sea star Patiria miniata as a modern model to uncover the basic rules that shape and maintain epithelial tubes in organs and glands. By applying CRISPR gene-editing and live imaging, researchers will explore how tube orientation, lumen shape, and epithelial state are controlled at the molecular level. The work aims to reveal shared, fundamental mechanisms of tube development that could inform our understanding of human biology. The study will generate new tools and data that help explain how tissues form correctly during growth and how they remain cohesive.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: The findings could improve our understanding of human organ development and tissue integrity, potentially informing strategies for congenital disorders affecting tubular organs.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier studies in epithelial biology using model organisms have identified key pathways; this project extends those insights to new models.
Where this research is happening
-
Marine Biological Laboratory
Woods Hole, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Perillo, Margherita — Marine Biological Laboratory
- Study coordinator: Perillo, Margherita
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.