Medical Student Research Fellowship for Summer 2008

Mentor: W. Matthew Petroll
Department: Ophthalmology
Room number: E7.234
Mail Code: 9057
Phone number: 648-7216
E-mail: matthew.petroll@utsouthwestern.edu
Project title: Force generation during corneal wound healing

Human subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

Animal subjects IRB approved project number (where applicable):

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

Brief Description of Project:

Following injury or laser refractive surgery, corneal keratocytes generate contractile forces which mediate wound closure and extracellular matrix remodeling. The goal of this project is to measure the changes in force generation by corneal keratocytes following treatment with specific growth factors present during wound healing. Corneal keratocytes will be cultured within 3-D collagen matrices, and treated with key growth factors present during corneal wound healing (e.g. TGF-beta, PDGF, CTGF). Cellular force generation will be measured using a culture force monitor system, in which the collagen matrix is suspended between a fixed point and a force transducer. The student will assist with cell culture, plating of cells within the 3-D matrices, and recording and analysis of force data.