James Patton, Ph.D.
Stevenson Professor of Biological Sciences
Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology
Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- : james.g.patton@vanderbilt.edu
- :
2325 Stevenson Center
Nashville, Tennessee - 37212 - : Lab Website
Research Description
Zebrafish have remarkable powers of regeneration, able to replace lost or damaged cells across almost all tissues and organs. After retinal damage, Muller glia serve as adult stem cells capable of both self-renewal and the generation of progenitor cells that can replace damaged neurons and indeed all retinal cells types. The overall structure and cell types within the zebrafish retina are highly conserved in mammals but spontaneous regeneration is blocked. We seek to determine the mechanisms that regulate zebrafish retina regeneration and apply that knowledge to develop tools to induce mammalian retina regeneration. Current work is focused on the role of inflammation and senescence during regeneration.
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