# Molecular Mechanisms in Sweat Gland Development

> **NIH NIH R01** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2024 · $566,610

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Eccrine sweat glands are the most abundant gland in human skin and are essential for thermoregulation. Human
patients suffering from severe burns and sweating deficiency lose their ability to regulate body temperature,
which make sweat gland regeneration a critical and immediate next goal in stem cell therapeutics. However,
very little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in the sweat gland development and the regulation
of the epidermal progenitors that give rise to sweat glands. This proposal is built upon my previous work on the
identification of multipotent stem cells in the sweat glands and the molecular signaling events that specify the
sweat gland fate. Using the novel strategies that I had established to study sweat glands, I aim to investigate the
mechanical and signaling pathways that further shaped the morphogenesis of sweat duct and gland, with a
combination of technologies including microengineering technologies, mouse genetics, immunofluorescent
confocal and light sheet microscopy imaging, single cell RNA- and ATAC-sequencing, Fluorescent Activated
Cell Sorting, and tissue explant and cell culture systems. This proposed research plans upon completion will
provide significant insights into spatiotemporal control of the signaling environment for epidermal progenitor to
specify their cell fate of duct vs gland during development. Our studies will significantly impact on the field of
sweat gland biology and facilitate the development of novel strategies for future sweat gland regeneration for
patients in need.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10833203
- **Project number:** 5R01AR080136-02
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Catherine Pei-Ju Lu
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $566,610
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-05-01 → 2028-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10833203

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10833203, Molecular Mechanisms in Sweat Gland Development (5R01AR080136-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10833203. Licensed CC0.

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