NIH R01 · 2025
Upon Solving the Secrets for Lens Transdifferentiation
Abstract Urodele newts are the unrivaled champions of vertebrate tissue regeneration. A greater understanding of the processes which enable their regenerative capabilities could inspire novel therapeutic approaches to combating blinding ailments. After injury, the Spanish ribbed newt Pleurodeles waltl can regenerate its lens through the transdifferentiation of iris pigment epithelium cells (IPECs) into lens progenitor cells. Interestingly, this regenerative competence is restricted to IPECs within the dorsal compartment of the iris. Ventral IPECs are nominally regeneration-incompetent, despite being morphologically indistinguishable from their dorsal counterparts. Past efforts to identify…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.