# TARGETING HIF-1α DYSFUNCTION TO TREAT PRESSURE ULCERS IN THE AGED

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA · 2023 · $331,245

## Abstract

Project Summary
Pressure ulcers affect 2.5 million people in the United States and cost the healthcare system an estimated 11.6
billion dollars annually. A major percentage of affected individuals are over sixty-five years of age and this
number is growing rapidly in the United States. A greater incidence of immobility, vascular disease and diabetes
is commonly seen in aged populations and places them at an increased risk for developing pressure ulcers.
Thus, there is a pressing need to develop new therapies that will effectively treat pressure ulcers in the aged.
With prior NIA support, we have found that aging is characterized by the progressive loss of critical molecular
and cellular pathways responsible for normal wound healing, specifically hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-
1α). We have also identified that these changes can be reversed using an FDA-approved small molecule drug,
deferoxamine (DFO). Building on our preliminary data, we will first define the aberrations of HIF-1α in healthy,
unwounded skin from young and aged patients (Specific Aim 1). We will then confirm the HIF-1α signaling
dysfunction in pressure ulcers using biopsy specimens from both young and aged patients. (Specific Aim 2). To
define the alterations in hypoxia signaling within the skin cells of young versus aged patients, we will subject the
collected tissue for protein analysis and single cell sequencing. We will then determine the optimal delivery
system for DFO through both intact stratum corneum as required for treating pressure ulcers in a porcine model
(Specific Aim 3). This large animal model is selected since porcine skin has significant similarities to the human
skin. Our results will validate the effectiveness of our drug delivery system and provide a novel strategy to deliver
other hydrophilic small molecule drugs across intact human skin. Taken together, this pre-clinical study will lay
the groundwork for a pilot human trial targeted at treating pressure ulcers with the transdermal DFO delivery
system, which will for the first time provide a pharmacologic therapy to treat pressure ulcers in aged patients.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10685482
- **Project number:** 5R01AG073815-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
- **Principal Investigator:** GEOFFREY C GURTNER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $331,245
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2027-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10685482

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10685482, TARGETING HIF-1α DYSFUNCTION TO TREAT PRESSURE ULCERS IN THE AGED (5R01AG073815-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10685482. Licensed CC0.

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