# Endogenous RNA sensing as a stimulant of skin regeneration

> **NIH NIH F32** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $60,774

## Abstract

Project Summary
According to the National Institutes of Health, wound care costs approximately 25 billion dollars annually.
Wound repair defects often occur in the skin of patients with diabetes, pressure ulcers, prolonged
immobilization, and venous insufficiency. If a wound recurs, it almost exclusively recurs in the same location as
the initial wound, due to the fragility of the fibrotic scarring that repaired the initial wound. Wound repair
typically results in a region of fibrotic scar tissue. Contrastingly, skin regeneration fully recapitulates
embryogenesis, completely restoring tissue function and adnexa, such as hair follicles. By understanding this
process, we will be able to promote regeneration, thereby augmenting wound repair. This would reduce wound
related hospitalizations and their corresponding medical costs, while also improving the quality of life for
patients. To investigate skin regeneration, this proposal will use the Wound Induced Hair Neogenesis (WIHN)
assay. For the assay, large full-thickness dorsal wounds are made on mice, and allowed to heal by contraction
and re-epithelialization. In the center of these healed wounds, a variable number of hair follicles are fully
regenerated and can be visualized non-invasively by confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM). After
wounding, innate immune cells, primarily neutrophils and macrophages, are recruited to the wound bed to
prevent infection and facilitate repair. The goal of this grant is to define the role of these cells in the
regeneration process, focusing on their contribution to de novo hair follicle formation during WIHN. In Aim 1 we
will investigate the hypothesis that small nuclear RNA expression and localization coincides with infiltrating
immune cells. In Aim 2 we will investigate the hypothesis that infiltrating immune cells are required for WIHN.
In Aim 3 we will investigate the hypothesis that immune cell extracellular traps promote hair follicle
regeneration. These findings have the potential to lead to significant advances in the treatment of fibrotic
diseases, affecting tissues such as skin, liver, and lung. This proposal is a mentored training grant that
combines research efforts with a didactic plan necessary for the future transition of the PI to an independent
position.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9927483
- **Project number:** 5F32AR074865-02
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Eric Matthew Wier
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $60,774
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-10 → 2021-02-27

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9927483

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9927483, Endogenous RNA sensing as a stimulant of skin regeneration (5F32AR074865-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9927483. Licensed CC0.

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