Regenerative Immunotherapies
Abstract
There are profound deficits in how humans, and adults in particular, heal and recover from tissue damage. The alternative to productive tissue healing is the formation of dysfunctional scaring, which underlies chronic degenerative arthritic conditions, chronic autoimmune diseases, and the fibrosis associated with the foreign body response to implants. Few innovations in regenerative medicine have reached the clinic; those in the clinic have yet to meaningfully improve standards of care. Alternative approaches and actual efficacious therapies that provide clinical benefit are desperately needed. The limited success achieved to date in rebuilding human tissues may be due, in part, to the tendency for therapeutic strategies to target the later components of the wound healing and regeneration process, such as stem cell proliferation and differentiation. We propose to change the paradigm in regeneration research and efficiently generate functional tissue repair via induction of pro-regenerative immune responses. Results of the proposed work have the potential to radically change the treatment approaches in regenerative medicine. The proposed project and transformational approaches in tissue repair and regeneration have the potential to impact research approaches in regenerative medicine and eventually impact patient treatment, care, and quality of life by providing a permanent replacement tissue restoration. The proposed project, Regenerative Immunotherapies, is directly responsive to the Topic Area of Tissue Regeneration. The proposal presents “original ideas that foster new directions” in the field of regenerative medicine research. The overall research strategy centers on promoting a pro-regenerative immune response to stimulate tissue regeneration – develop Regenerative Immunotherapies. Specifically, we will target the adaptive immune system and T cells to promote a pro-regenerative phenotype to enhance repair of multiple tissue types. To accomplish this goal, we will use components helminths that are known to activate these pathways. This work will be performed in collaboration with immunologists from the Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (BKI) at Johns Hopkins. Clinical, surgical, and military input will be provided by Drs. Clifton Bingham and Leon Nesti from Johns Hopkins and the Uniformed Services University.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 19, 2019
- Source ID
- W81XWH1910576
Entities
People
- Jennifer Elisseeff
Organizations
- Johns Hopkins University
- United States Army