Garcia-Arraras NSF Grant

Our lab has obtained an NSF (IOS) grant entitled: “Characterizing radial glia-like cells and their involvement in nervous system regeneration”.  This is a 3-year grant with a total funding for $477,331. The grant aims to solve the mysteries of tissue and organ regeneration, specifically the regeneration of nervous system components, and to identify the limits that certain animals encounter in this process. Our approach is to focus on an organism that has the capacity to regenerate its nervous system, the sea cucumber Holothuria glaberrima, to determine the mechanisms by which it achieves such an amazing feat. Our project studies a type of cell “radial glia-like cells” and their ability to dedifferentiate, proliferate and give rise to new nervous system cells following injury.