Grant: Project Grant

Mesenchymal progenitors are a type of stem/progenitor cell that is present to varying extents in most tissues and organs in our body. Under normal conditions, these cells are in a growth-arrested state and are considered to be quiescent. Following injury due to trauma (or inflammation, disease and other signals) mesenchymal progenitors become "activated" and this is associated with increased proliferation, leading to increased numbers of cells. Activated mesenchymal progenitors play a fundamental role in supporting tissue regeneration and directly contribute to the regenerated tissue. In other instances, activated mesenchymal progenitors can contribute to tissue repair and cause fibrosis, a major contributor to tissue and organ dysfunction. This latter process may also involve inappropriate proliferation of mesenchymal progenitors and this grant is focused on deciphering the molecular mechanisms that control MP quiescence and activation. A better understanding of these processes is expected to lead to therapeutics aimed at modifying mesenchymal progenitor behaviour in order to improve tissue regeneration and reduce fibrosis.