Understanding how zebrafish fins grow and regrow to keep their shape
Official title: Illuminating the mechanisms that generate pattern and shape during growth and regeneration of the zebrafish fin
Funded at Boston College · NIH-11393116 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study in zebrafish aims to uncover how cells figure out where they are in a growing or regrowing fin so the fin keeps its proper size and form.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Boston College NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Chestnut Hill, United States) |
| Project start | September 7, 2022 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $391,250 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM146467-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11393116 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are patients with congenital limb differences or those benefiting from regenerative medicine advances; however, this study is foundational biology in model organisms.
✕Less likely to help
Direct patient benefits are not expected from this basic animal-model study itself.
What this research studies
This project uses zebrafish fins to explore how cells read positional information during growth and regeneration, which helps explain limb malformations in humans. Researchers will examine how tissue context guides the shape and patterning of regenerating fins after injuries. The findings could illuminate why some appendages develop or regrow with the wrong size or pattern and point toward regenerative therapies. The work links basic biology to possibilities for preventing or treating congenital limb disorders.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Insights from this work could guide future approaches to prevent or treat limb malformations and inform regenerative medicine strategies.
How similar studies have gone: Past research in fin growth and regeneration has yielded key principles about patterning, with translational potential for human limb biology.
Where this research is happening
-
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Mcmenamin, Sarah Kelly — Boston College
- Study coordinator: Mcmenamin, Sarah Kelly
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.