# Mesenchymal Stem Cell Derived A-1 Exosomes for Traumatic Brain Injury

> **NIH NIH R01** · TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCE CTR · 2020 · $577,012

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
“Mesenchymal Stem Cell Derived A1-Exosomes for Traumatic Brain Injury”
This proposal will develop a novel therapy for severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), a
condition that has devastating effects on the victims and creates a large burden over
$55 billion per year on the US healthcare system. One of the distressing features of TBI
is that after the acute phase, the patients gradually develop behavioral deficits. As a
result, the disease is now considered as a chronic syndrome that involves a viscous
cycle in which the initial inflammatory response is excessive so that it causes
considerable injury to the brain and thereby triggers another round of lasting
inflammation. Numerous anti-inflammatory agents have been tested for treating TBI, but
none have yet been accepted as part of standard medical care. This proposal is based
on earlier publications that demonstrated administration of mesenchymal stem/stromal
cells produced beneficial effects in animal models of TBI (by MSCs), primarily through
reducing inflammation, and the more recent observation by us and another lab that the
beneficial effects of MSCs can be reproduced with small vesicles (exosomes) produced
by MSCs. The proposed studies will establish the efficacy, safety, and mode of action of
A1-exosomes in a mouse model of TBI. A1-exosomes are prepared from MSCs with a
scalable protocol, which can be used as “off-the-shelf” reagents. We will compare the
administration of A1-exosomes either intravenously or intranasally since we have
recently found that intranasal administration of A1-exosomes dramatically reduces
induced-neuroinflammation. If successful, the proposal will provide the basis for a novel
clinical therapy for TBI and perhaps other diseases involving neuroinflammation such as
Parkinsonism and Alzheimer’s disease.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9934298
- **Project number:** 5R01NS106907-03
- **Recipient organization:** TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCE CTR
- **Principal Investigator:** ASHOK K SHETTY
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $577,012
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-06-15 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9934298

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9934298, Mesenchymal Stem Cell Derived A-1 Exosomes for Traumatic Brain Injury (5R01NS106907-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9934298. Licensed CC0.

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