Understanding how healing tissue uses tiny messengers and scaffolds to repair wounds
Official title: Dissecting the role of extracellular vesicles and matrix in wound healing
Funded at University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr · NIH-11425396 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study to learn how cells talk to each other and how tiny vesicles and the extracellular matrix help skin wounds heal better.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2026 |
| Project end | April 30, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $451,000 |
| NIH project number | 1R35GM165366-01 |
| Project ID | NIH-11425396 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are individuals with skin injuries or chronic wounds resulting from impaired healing, who could provide tissue samples or participate in related studies.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with acute, uncomplicated wounds or conditions unrelated to wound repair are less likely to benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks at how fibroblasts, the cells that drive wound healing, communicate with neighboring cells and the surrounding matrix. It will investigate how extracellular vesicles and ECM remodeling influence inflammation, new blood vessel growth, and skin rebuilding after injury. The team will use human-relevant models to map signaling pathways and EV cargo that guide repair. The goal is to uncover targets that could improve healing in chronic wounds by promoting proper cell crosstalk and matrix organization.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with difficult-to-heal wounds could benefit from therapies that enhance proper cellular communication and ECM remodeling to speed healing.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that cell signaling and EVs influence wound healing, but detailed mechanisms in human-relevant models remain to be fully defined.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
Houston, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcandrews, Kathleen — University of Tx Md Anderson Can Ctr
- Study coordinator: Mcandrews, Kathleen
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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.