# Defining mechanisms driving salivary gland regeneration

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO · 2022 · $944,669

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The development of stem cell-based therapies for curing disease and restoring organ function has led to a critical
need to identify endogenous stem cells and their regulators in craniofacial tissues. We have made significant
inroads into deciphering stem cell identity and regulation in the salivary gland, a craniofacial organ system
profoundly affected by chronic diseases (e.g., aging, autoimmunity, cancer) for which there are few symptomatic
treatments and no long-term restorative therapies. However, despite progress in the field, we are still very much
in the early stages of understanding the mechanisms driving organ repair and regeneration. Thus, based our
previous studies revealing the identity and function of salivary progenitors and novel roles of cholinergic nerves
in morphogenic and renewal programs, we seek to elucidate the mechanisms driving salivary gland regeneration
by exploring 4 significant questions: (1) How do salivary stem cells enable organ renewal? (2) How do nerves
control organ homeostasis and regeneration? (3) How does aging impact salivary stem cells? And finally, (4)
How is salivary gland architecture created? We will answer these questions using a combination of
developmental and regenerative approaches in mice and human tissue together with a bevy of molecular,
biochemical, imaging and cell biological assays. Outcomes here will uncover novel cellular and molecular
mechanisms required for the development of stem cell based therapeutics for reversing damage in these and
other organ systems.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10437809
- **Project number:** 5R35DE028255-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah Monica Knox
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $944,669
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-09-18 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10437809

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10437809, Defining mechanisms driving salivary gland regeneration (5R35DE028255-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10437809. Licensed CC0.

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