This NIH-funded clinical and translational research focuses on testing and validating specific set of biomarkers that can predict clinical outcomes or healing of diabetic foot ulcers and guide a debridement margin of venous leg ulcers. We currently serve as a Biomarker Analyses Unit of the NIDDK-funded Diabetic Foot Consortium.
The Role of Genomic and Epigenetic Control in Diabetic Healing
The goals of these projects are to utilize genomics approach to elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of chronic wounds associated with transcriptional regulation, miRNAs and chromatin control. These projects focus on identifying and testing new class of therapeutic agents that may reverse the pathogenic non-healing phenotype-based genomics analyses may be used to prevent and/or treat non-healing chronic wounds in the future.
Endocrine and Lipid Control of Wound Healing
Non-healing wounds are frequent in obese and diabetic patients. These projects aim to study cholesterol metabolism, its regulation and control of cortisol and skin specific local HPA axis in wound healing. For example, we are focusing on how systemic and/or topical statins may regulate wound healing process and by which mechanisms. Furthermore, we also study multiple hormones (such as estrogen, thyroid hormone, and their receptor are important regulators of wound healing.
Innate, Adaptive Immunity and Wound Infections
Understanding mechanism by which skin microbiome and pathogenic organisms regulate host-response in the context of wound healing in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro. We use multiple different approaches to decipher how inflammatory response in wound healing controls clinical outcomes as well as mechanisms by which specific microorganisms contribute to overall outcomes of healing in patients.
Aging and Wound Healing
Chronic wounds are more frequently found in elderly patients. However, mechanisms by which aging contributes to inhibition of healing are not well established. Therefore, we focus on studying multiple aspects of aging process in skin and mechanisms by which it may contribute to impairment in healing, including, reduced steroid hormones, Vitamin D deficiency, inflammatory response, miRNAs.
