Using your own palm or sole skin cells to toughen an amputation stump for better prosthetic use
Injection of autologous volar fibroblasts to the stump site to allow pressure adaptation and enhanced prosthetic use in amputees
This will inject your own palm or sole skin cells into an amputee stump to help the skin handle pressure and make prosthetic use more comfortable.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Johns Hopkins University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Baltimore, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11304529 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would have a small skin biopsy taken from your palm or the sole of your foot so doctors can grow your own fibroblast cells. Those expanded cells would be injected into the skin of your limb stump to try to give it pressure-adaptive properties like the sole of a foot. The team will monitor how the injected cells interact with your native skin cells and how the stump tolerates prosthetic use over time. Visits will include the biopsy, the injection procedure, and follow-up checks for healing and prosthetic comfort.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with a healed limb amputation stump who can donate a small biopsy from their palm or sole and who use or plan to use a prosthetic could be candidates.
Not a fit: Those without limb amputations, people who cannot provide an eligible biopsy site, or patients with active infection or poor wound healing are unlikely to benefit from this approach.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could make stump skin more resistant to pressure, improving comfort and time spent wearing a prosthetic.
How similar studies have performed: Autologous cell therapies have helped skin healing in other settings, but using palm or sole fibroblasts specifically to make a stump pressure-adaptive is a relatively new approach.
Where this research is happening
Baltimore, United States
- Johns Hopkins University — Baltimore, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Garza, Luis Andres — Johns Hopkins University
- Study coordinator: Garza, Luis Andres
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 below.