Urine microRNA test to predict healing in diabetic foot ulcers
Official title: Circulating urinary microRNAs as systemic biomarkers of healing outcomes in diabetic foot ulcers
Funded at University of Miami School of Medicine · NIH-11169779 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project is creating a urine-based test that uses tiny RNA markers to predict whether a diabetic foot ulcer will heal with standard treatment.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Miami School of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Coral Gables, United States) |
| Project start | July 4, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $379,716 |
| NIH project number | 5R33DK131897-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11169779 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with diabetes who currently have an active foot ulcer and are receiving care at a participating Diabetic Foot Consortium clinic are the ideal candidates.
✕Less likely to help
People without diabetes, without a current foot ulcer, or whose ulcers have already fully healed would not benefit from this test.
What this research studies
You would provide a urine sample so researchers can measure small RNA molecules called microRNAs that seem linked to healing of diabetic foot ulcers. The team will use patients already enrolled in the Diabetic Foot Consortium and apply statistical and machine-learning methods to narrow a large list of microRNAs down to a practical panel of about 10–20 markers. They will build a predictive model that classifies ulcers as likely to heal with standard care or likely to need advanced therapy, and then test how well that model works. The goal is a low-cost, non-invasive test that can be used at baseline and during treatment to guide care decisions.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could identify hard-to-heal ulcers earlier so patients can get advanced treatments sooner and potentially avoid amputations.
How similar studies have gone: Early pilot work, including the investigators' preliminary data, suggests urinary microRNAs can reflect diabetic complications, but a validated urine-panel prognostic test for ulcer healing is still novel and not yet proven in large patient groups.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Miami School of Medicine
Coral Gables, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Stone, Rivka C. — University of Miami School of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Stone, Rivka C.
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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.