Funder(s): NIH/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

This program project (P01) aims to elucidate pathogenetic mechanisms of human vascular anomalies, to generate mouse models and identify therapeutic targets. These common vascular disorders belong to the group of childhood conditions popularly known as vascular birthmarks. One in about 100 children born have a vascular birthmark, and although significant progress has been made in identifying the genetic basis for many of the more rare forms of these anomalies, they are...

Investigators: Maja Edenius, PhD, Research Fellow, Chang-Yeol Yeo, PhD, Research Fellow
Funder(s): NIH/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

The use of small molecules to manipulate metabolic function in vivo has emerged as an important new approach to therapy for a wide range of disease pathologies. The amino acid starvation response (AAR) is a signaling pathway that controls a variety metabolic and cytoprotective functions in response to the restriction of amino acid availability. In our preliminary...

Funder(s): NIH/NIAMS

The long-term goals of this project are to gain insights into mechanisms by which extracellular matrix components contribute to assembly, maintenance and function of vascular and epithelial tissues. The work is focused on a component of basement membranes, the specialized structures that separate epithelial and endothelial cells from underlying connective tissues. This component, collagen XVIII, interacts with other basement membrane constituents and receptors on adjacent cells via one of its domains, endostatin. In humans, recessive...

Funder(s): NIH/NIAMS

The long-term goal of these studies is to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control bone development and homeostasis. During the past funding period, significant progress has been made in identifying the multiple roles of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in skeletal development. These roles include serving as chemotactic factor for vascular invasion into cartilage models of future bones, serving as survival factor for chondrocytes in hypoxic regions, promoting matrix production by osteoblasts and chondrocytes...

Funder(s): Osteology Foundation

Investigators: Maja Edenius, PhD, Research Fellow
Funder(s): Harvard University Technology Development Accelerator Fund

Drs. Whitman and Keller are working as co-principal investigators in collaboration with Anjana Rao, of the Immune Disease Institute at Children’s Hospital Boston. They are developing a new family of small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of chronic inflammatory conditions and autoimmune diseases. 

Established by the Office of the Provost and Office of Technology Development, the Accelerator Fund is...