Aaron Morris, an Assistant Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan, has been awarded the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) to advance research on chronic wounds. This grant will fund a five-year project aimed at understanding why certain wounds, particularly diabetic skin wounds and the foreign body response to medical implants, fail to heal. Chronic wounds affect millions and can lead to severe complications, including infections and amputations. Morris's research will investigate the role of immune cells, particularly T cells, in wound healing, focusing on the balance between conventional T cells and regulatory T cells that aid in repair. Additionally, the project will explore the impact of alarmins, molecules that signal the immune system during inflammation, in chronic wounds. By employing engineered biomaterials and synthetic biology tools, Morris's team aims to uncover shared principles of chronic inflammation and stalled repair, potentially leading to new therapies and improved implant integration. The MIRA grant encourages a program-based approach, allowing for a comprehensive exploration of chronic wound healing mechanisms rather than a single, narrowly defined project.