Understanding how to regrow lost or damaged body tissues
Official title: New upstream targets for HIF-1a-mediated regeneration in young and aged animals
Funded at Lankenau Institute for Medical Research · NIH-11099990 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This research explores how to encourage the body to naturally regrow its own tissues, like bone and cartilage, by activating a special pathway.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lankenau Institute for Medical Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Wynnewood, United States) |
| Project start | May 1, 2011 |
| Project end | May 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $693,701 |
| NIH project number | 5R01DE021104-14 |
| Project ID | NIH-11099990 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
This foundational research is not directly recruiting patients, but future studies stemming from this work might benefit individuals with significant tissue loss or damage due to injury or disease.
✕Less likely to help
Patients without tissue damage or those seeking immediate clinical solutions would not directly benefit from this early-stage laboratory research.
What this research studies
We are looking for ways to help the body regenerate lost or damaged tissues, similar to how some animals like newts can regrow limbs. Our work focuses on a natural pathway in the body called HIF-1α, which we've found plays a key role in regeneration in certain mice. By using special materials and a compound called AMD3100, we aim to activate this pathway to encourage the body to heal itself. This approach could potentially lead to new ways for people to recover from injuries or diseases that cause tissue loss.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new treatments that help people regrow their own damaged or lost tissues, such as bone or cartilage, without needing transplants or artificial replacements.
How similar studies have gone: This research builds upon nearly 25 years of observations in regenerative mice models, identifying the HIF-1α pathway as a central regulator of regeneration.
Where this research is happening
-
Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
Wynnewood, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Heber-Katz, Ellen S. — Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
- Study coordinator: Heber-Katz, Ellen S.
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Keeping heart muscle cells connected as the heart ages
This project looks at whether strengthening the physical links between heart muscle cells can help aging hearts keep working better.
-
Mechanotransduction in Disease: Creating Mouse Models to Study Mechanical Signals
A new mouse model project aims to understand how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces and how disruptions can contribute to diseases like heart disease, asthma, and cancer.
-
New ways to trigger tissue regrowth in young and aged animals
This grant studies how to make damaged tissues regrow by triggering the body's own regenerative pathways, using a mouse model to understand how to restore jaw bone and surrounding tissues.
-
How the IDO2 protein shapes harmful and protective immune responses in autoimmune disease
This project looks at the protein IDO2 to understand how it makes immune cells cause or prevent autoimmune disease, aiming to help people with conditions like inflammatory arthritis.
-
Understanding how cancer begins when a key cell process is disrupted
This research aims to understand how liver cancer starts when a specific cell control system, called the Rb/E2f interaction, stops working correctly.
-
Understanding how IDO2 affects immune responses in autoimmune diseases
This study is looking at how a specific enzyme called IDO2 in immune cells might be causing problems in autoimmune diseases like arthritis, and it aims to find new ways to help people with these conditions feel better without the harsh side effects of current treatments.
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.