Proteins that control retinal repair after damage
Characterization of the nascent retinal proteome regulating Hippo signaling during damage
This project looks at newly made proteins that switch on a growth-control pathway in damaged retinas to help guide future therapies for people with conditions like age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Baylor College of Medicine NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Houston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11145216 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
From a patient perspective, researchers will compare how support cells in damaged zebrafish and mouse retinas make new proteins after injury. They will focus on Müller glia and use biochemical proteomics to capture and identify proteins that activate the Hippo/YAP signaling pathway. By finding the upstream protein triggers that differ between regenerative fish and non-regenerative mammals, the team hopes to reveal targets that could be turned into treatments to promote retinal neuron regrowth. This work is lab-based and uses animal models to build evidence for therapies that might later be tested in people.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with retinal degenerative conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, or those who have suffered retinal injury would be the likely future candidates for therapies informed by this work.
Not a fit: Patients whose vision loss is caused by non-retinal problems or by extensive scarring and irreversible tissue loss may not benefit from approaches that aim to regrow retinal neurons.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the findings could point to new ways to stimulate retinal support cells to regrow neurons and potentially restore vision in people with retinal degeneration.
How similar studies have performed: Zebrafish reliably regenerate retinal neurons and early mouse experiments manipulating Hippo/YAP show limited reprogramming, but translating these findings into human therapies remains unproven.
Where this research is happening
Houston, United States
- Baylor College of Medicine — Houston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Poche, Ross Anthony — Baylor College of Medicine
- Study coordinator: Poche, Ross Anthony
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.