Grant: Operating Grant

Over the past funding period we have provided the first description of a new cell type involved in tissue regeneration. These cells are present throughout the body and respond to damage by increasing in numbers and providing positive signals to the tissue specific stem cells that carry out the repairs. When regeneration fails however, the cells turn into fibroblast and fat, leading to tissue degeneration (scarring). This decision is regulated through a complex network of interactions between different cells that are required to work together for regeneration to be successful. We will map these interactions and test whether by modifying specific signals that cells send to each other we can modulate the efficiency of regeneration.