# Role of the FAAH-OUT locus in cutaneous wound healing

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · 2024 · $488,336

## Abstract

RESEARCH SUMMARY
The proposal will study the unusual phenotype of a 69-year-old woman who displays exceptionally
accelerated skin wound healing with minimal scarring. Genome sequencing revealed that her
phenotype is caused by an ~8 kb deletion downstream of the fatty acid aldehyde hydrolase
(FAAH) gene that results in the loss of a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) gene named FAAH OUT.
The goal of this proposal is to understand how the FAAH OUT deletion results in accelerated
wound healing. In the United States, the annual medical burden of chronic wounds exceeds $25
billion and continues to rise with the aging population. There is a critical need to improve
understanding of the biological processes underlying skin wound healing and to innovate new
therapies. In the first aim, we will study normal and wounded skin tissue from the study subject
using spatial transcriptomics, in situ hybridization, and xenograft skin repair models to understand
how the FAAH OUT locus regulates wound healing. In the second aim, we will elucidate the FAAH
OUT genetic interactome to gain insight to its molecular mechanisms. By studying a rare genetic
allele of an individual with markedly enhanced wound healing, this proposal aims to generate
novel insight to the role of lncRNAs in wound repair and discover new human-validated targets to
treat cutaneous wounds.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11050986
- **Project number:** 7R01AR079992-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Bryan Sun
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $488,336
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2024-03-06 → 2027-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11050986

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11050986, Role of the FAAH-OUT locus in cutaneous wound healing (7R01AR079992-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/11050986. Licensed CC0.

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