Research in Wound Healing and Scar Formation

Last updated on Feb 16, 2024

I had the opportunity to spend a year investigating angiogenesis and fibrosis in the context of wound healing in the Longaker Lab at Stanford University. Funded by the Sarnoff Cardiovascular Research Foundation, I worked as a 2019-20 Sarnoff Fellow worked under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Longaker and Dr. Derrick Wan.

My projects focused on fibroblast heterogeneity, therapeutics for radiation-induced fibrosis, and the development a novel xenograft model of human skin.

My Sarnoff Advisor Dr. Alan Daugherty (left) and Dr. Longaker (right) in the laboratory.

Looking at fibroblasts under the microscope.

Teaching two of my summer students about cell culture techniques.

Dr. Longaker (left), Dr. Wan (right), and my lab colleague and friend Malini Chinta (center left) at the 2019 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress.

Relevant Publications:

Fibroblasts and Scarring

Borrelli M*, Shen AH*, Griffin M*, Mascharak S, Adem S, Deleon NMD, Ngaage LM, Longaker MT, Wan DC, Lorenz HP. A Novel Xenograft Model Demonstrates Human Fibroblast Behavior During Skin Wound Repair and Fibrosis. Advances in Wound Care (New Rochelle). 2022 Sep;11(9):455-465.
Mascharak S, desJardins-Park HE, Davitt MF, Griffin M, Borrelli MR, Moore AL, Chen K, Duoto B, Chinta M, Foster DS, Shen AH, Januszyk M, Kwon SH, Wernig G, Wan DC, Lorenz HP, Gurtner GC, Longaker MT. Preventing Engrailed-1 activation in fibroblasts yields wound regeneration without scarring. Science. 2021 Apr 23;372(6540):eaba2374.
Griffin MF*, Borrelli MR*, Garcia JT#, Januszyk M#, King M, Lerbs T, Cui L, Moore AL, Shen AH, Mascharak S, Deleon NMD, Adem S, Taylor WL, Desjardins-Park H, Gastou M, Patel RA, Duoto BA, Sokol J, Wei Y, Foster D, Chen K, Wan DC, Gurtner GC, Lorenz HP, Chang HY, Wernig C#, Longaker MT#. JUN promotes hypertrophic skin scarring via CD36 in preclinical in vitro and in vivo models. Science Translational Medicine. 2021 Sep 1;13(609):eabb3312.
Borrelli MR*, Griffin M*, Chen K, Deleon NMD, Adem S, Mascharak S, Shen AH, Ngaage LM, Lewis N, Longaker MT, Gurtner GC, Wan DC, Lorenz HP. Profibrotic Signaling Pathways and Surface Markers Are Upregulated in Fibroblasts of Human Striae Distensae and in a Mouse Model System. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2022 Aug 1;150(2):327-338.
Leavitt T*, Hu MS*, Borrelli MR*, Januszyk M#, Garcia JT#, Ransom RC, Mascharak S, desJardins-Park HE, Litzenburger UM, Walmsley GG, Marshall CD, Moore AL, Duoto B, Adem S, Foster DS, Salhotra A, Shen AH, Griffin M, Shen EZ, Barnes LA, Zielins ER, Maan ZN, Wei Y, Chan CKF, Wan DC, Lorenz HP, Chang HY, Gurtner GC, Longaker MT. Prrx1 fibroblasts represent a pro-fibrotic lineage in the mouse ventral dermis. Cell Reports. 2020 Nov 10;33(6):108356.
desJardins-Park HE*, Chinta MS*, Foster DS, Borrelli MR, Shen AH, Wan DC, Longaker MT. Fibroblast Heterogeneity and Its Implications for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: A Basic Science Review. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Global Open. 2020 Jun 23; 8(6):e2927.

Radiation-Induced Fibrosis

Adem S, Abbas DB, Lavin CV, Fahy EJ, Griffin M, Deleon NMD, Borrelli MR, Mascharak S, Shen AH, Patel RA, Longaker MT, Nazerali RS, Wan DC. Decellularized Adipose Matrices Can Alleviate Radiation-Induced Skin Fibrosis. Advances in Wound Care (New Rochelle). 2021 Sep 6.
Shen AH*, Borrelli MR*, Adem S, Deleon NMD, Patel RA, Mascharak S, Yen SJ, Sun BY, Taylor WL, Januszyk M, Nguyen DH, Momeni A, Gurtner GC, Longaker MT, Wan DC. Prophylactic treatment with transdermal deferoxamine mitigates radiation-induced skin fibrosis. Scientific Reports. 2020 July 23;10(1):12346.
Borrelli MR, Deleon NMD, Adem S, Patel RA, Mascharak S, Shen AH, Irizarry D, Nguyen D, Momeni A, Longaker MT, Wan DC. Fat Grafting Rescues Radiation-Induced Joint Contracture. Stem Cells. 2020 Mar;38(3):382-389.
Borrelli MR, Shen AH, Lee GK, Momeni A, Longaker MT, Wan DC. Radiation-Induced Skin Fibrosis: Pathogenesis, Current Treatment Options, and Emerging Therapeutics. Annals of Plastic Surgery. 2019 Oct;83(4S Suppl 1):S59-S64.

Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells

Deleon NMD, Adem S, Lavin CV, Abbas DB, Griffin M, King ME, Borrelli MR, Patel RA, Fahy EJ, Lee D, Shen AH, Momeni A, Longaker MT, Wan DC. Angiogenic CD34+CD146+ adipose-derived stromal cells augment recovery of soft tissue after radiotherapy. Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. 2021 Sep 28.
Borrelli MR, Patel RP, Blackshear C, Vistnes S, Deleon NMD, Adem S, Shen AH, Sokol J, Momeni A, Nguyen D, Longaker MT, Wan DC. CD34+CD146+ adipose-derived stromal cells enhance engraftment of transplanted fat. Stem Cells Translational Medicine. 2020 Jun;9(11):1389-1400.
Borrelli MR, Patel RA, Adem S, Deleon NMD, Shen AH, Sokol J, Yen S, Chang EY, Nazerali R, Nguyen D, Momeni A, Wang KC, Longaker MT, Wan DC. The Antifibrotic ASC: Grafted Fat enriched with CD74+ Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells reduces chronic radiation-induced skin fibrosis. Stem Cells Translational Medicine. 2020 Jun;9(11):1401-1413.