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Utah's Foremost Platform for Undergraduate Research Presentation
2022 Abstracts

The role of MMP2 for retinal regeneration in zebrafish

Presenters: Braxton Tonks
Authors: Braxton Tonks, Landry Batis, Kevin Payne, Elizabeth Sandquist
Faculty Advisor: Elizabeth Sandquist
Institution: Weber State University

Retinal diseases and injuries can lead to poor vision and blindness, and these currently have no cure. Though, clinical tests are already ongoing. We hope that stem cell transplantation can be guided to restore these neuronal processes, leading to increased visual acuity and slowing the progress of neurodegenerative diseases. Advances in clinical stem cell transplantation therapies have shown promise, but show low efficacy rates (<1%) and the mechanisms governing stem cell migration following transplantation are largely unknown. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are exceptional at utilizing stem cells to regenerate injured retinal tissue and can serve as a rebuilding model for humans. We propose that matrix metalloproteinases 2 is a key part of stem cell migration and subsequent tissue repair. The goal of this study was to determine if levels of MMP2 are affected during the days after lesion, as this would indicate a role for MMP2 in retinal regeneration. Our experiments using qRT-PCR showed that MMP2 is upregulated post-lesion. Future plans include the use of MMP2 inhibitors, as well as live imaging of cell migration patterns. Advancing our knowledge of these processes will determine whether MMP2 could be used to enhance stem cell therapies.