Request for Funding

Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2004

Mentor: Rod Rohrich, MD; Spencer A. Brown, PhD
Department: Plastic Surgery
Room number: G8.239
Mail Code: 9132
Phone number: 214-648-2482
E-mail: Spencer. brown@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title:

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): N/A

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable): N/A

Project Type (patient-based research, animal-based research, or basic research; this characterization is only to permit a general classification for grouping similar types of projects)

Basic research

Brief Description of Project:

The focus of our research is to examine if in wound healing keratinocytes from younger subjects migrate and proliferate to a greater extent than keratinocytes with an ex vivo wound healing model. Wound healing in older subjects is slower than young subjects, but other ex vivo wound healing models using isolated human keratinocytes have not shown this difference.
Core biopsies (6 mm) from excess human skin in IRB-approved protocols will be generated and placed into tissue culture wells. Laser generated removal of 240 m of cells (rectangle shape) will use a VISX-2 laser (1000 pulses). Core biopsies will be cultured in DMEM, CBS (10%) pH 7.4 with antibiotics in a humidified CO2 incubator (5%). Individual core samples will be harvested on days 1-7, fixed in formalin and processed for H & E staining and immunohistological staining for a keratinocyte proliferative marker, Ki-67. He will examine if keratinocytes of the younger group will be more proliferative than the aged group.

Previous Research Activities or Publications with Medical Students:

8 students in the last 3 years.

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