Understanding how postnatal growth plates stay healthy and grow bones
Official title: Dynamic regulations of postnatal growth plate homeostasis
Funded at University of Southern California · NIH-11450981 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This NIH grant explores how certain cell signals control the growth plates in children to help long bones grow properly.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Southern California NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Los Angeles, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | September 17, 2026 |
| Project end | July 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $460,278 |
| NIH project number | 1R01AR086295-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11450981 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are children and young adults with or at risk for growth plate or cartilage-related disorders.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without growth plate or bone growth concerns may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
Growing bones rely on the growth plate, a special area in kids’ bones. This project looks at Gs signaling and different progenitor cell populations to see how they regulate growth plates after birth. Researchers will map downstream and upstream components of Gs signaling and identify when activating Gs could support healthy bone growth. The goal is to uncover new targets for treating growth plate and cartilage-related issues in young people.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new strategies to prevent or treat growth plate disorders and improve bone growth in children and adolescents.
How similar studies have gone: Previous work has started to reveal how signaling pathways affect growth plates, but this project seeks to define specific GPCR/Gs roles and timing, which is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
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University of Southern California
Los Angeles, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Liu, Zhaoyang — University of Southern California
- Study coordinator: Liu, Zhaoyang
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.