Stem cells and limb regeneration

About the project

About the Project Group Leader: Dr Mekayla Storer ( Storer Group ) Research Summary The life of a salamander is an enviable thing. If this animal loses a limb, it can just grow another one. Imagine if humans could do that. It’s not all bad news however. Mice and humans have retained a sliver of regenerative ability. If you damage the end of your finger, as long as there is a bit of nail left over and the wound is not stitched up, it will grow back. In the Storer lab, they are trying to understand why humans can regenerate a fingertip but not an entire arm. If they can understand how the tip of the finger regenerates, they can use this knowledge to develop therapies to regenerate other parts of the body. Research Focus The digit tip is the only part of the limb that can regenerate in mammals. The key step in this process is the formation of the blastema, a transiently proliferating cell mass that generates the different cell types of the digit to replicate the original structure. Therefore, understanding how the blastema forms and functions during digit tip regeneration will provide clues as to how they can stimulate regeneration of limbs and other tissues. The Storer Group seeks to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms necessary for blastema formation, and how these cells are co-ordinated temporally and spatially to regenerate the injured digit tip. Toward that end, they utilise in vitro blastema cultures, single-cell transcriptomic approaches and in vivo genetic lineage tracing studies. To Apply: We encourage prospective PhD students to reach out directly to Dr Storer, ms2786@cam.ac.uk to discuss potential projects and supervision. Applicants must secure the support of a Supervisor within a laboratory before submitting an application . Please contact the project Supervisor(s) to discuss potential supervision, proposed research project and funding options, which should then be used to write your formal application. Applications will be submitted to the ' PhD in Stem Cell Biology ' and full course details can be found at https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/courses/directory/blscpdscp

Research areas