Project Grant R01DK149649

The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases awarded Boston Medical Center Corporation $3.517 million on September 4, 2026, under the Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research program (CFDA 93.847) to evaluate induced pluripotent stem cell-derived endothelial cell therapy for liver disease.

The research will assess the therapeutic potential of iPSC-derived endothelial cells to promote liver regeneration and alleviate liver disease. The approach leverages the supportive role of liver endothelial cells in enhancing hepatocyte proliferation and function through paracrine signaling. The investigator proposes that engraftment of healthy endothelial cells will restore functional liver vasculature and reconstruct the supportive cellular niche required for hepatocyte proliferation and function, ultimately addressing the scarcity of donor organs for liver transplantation in end-stage and acute liver disease.

Performance occurs in Roxbury, Massachusetts, with a period of performance through August 31, 2030. Boston Medical Center Corporation, a tax-exempt academic medical center and safety-net hospital, serves as the prime recipient. The work builds on the institution's established expertise in supportive interactions between hepatocytes and endothelial cells during liver development, including prior findings on the VEGFA/VEGFR2 axis activation of endothelial cells in injured livers and expression of factors stimulating hepatocyte function.