The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry is getting
$3 million from the federal government to discover a way to more effectively treat wounds.
UIC will create a Center for Innovative Wound Healing Research, one of four to be established in the United States through a $13 million initiative of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, one of the National Institutes of Health.
Luisa DiPietro, an immunologist and cell biologist who is professor of
periodontics in the UIC College of Dentistry, will lead the center.
Phillip Marucha, professor and head of periodontics at UIC, and Dr.
Thomas Mustoe of NorthwesternUniversity will serve as co-directors.
"The new centers create interdisciplinary groups of basic scientists and clinicians to work together on their most innovative ideas to develop therapies for acute and chronic wounds," said Jeremy Berg, director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. "The goal is to deepen understanding of wound healing and apply this knowledge to enhance and speed the healing process."
DiPietro and her research group will study wound healing in mucosal tissues, which protect body cavities and canals that come into contact with the air. These tissues, found in the mouth and genital and digestive tracts, heal more quickly and with less scarring than skin.
Understanding how mucosal tissues heal so well could suggest ways to minimize scars from skin wounds.
The UIC and Northwestern teams will begin by identifying proteins and genes key to mucosal healing by comparing mucosal and skin repair in humans, mice and rabbits. DiPietro will test whether manipulating any of these molecules can affect scar formation and healing. The ultimate goal of the UIC research center is to develop drugs that reduce scarring or accelerate healing in humans.
"More than 1 million people in the United States suffer from wound healing problems, so the need for new discoveries is tremendous,"
DiPietro said. "We're extremely excited to be afforded the opportunity to move ahead with this collaborative research effort."