Wound Healing

The action of growth factors on cell signal-transduction mechanisms activated during injury in the corneal epithelium are also under study in Dr. Haydee Bazan's laboratories. The goal is to understand the sequence of biochemical events that stimulate the production of molecules involved in proliferation, migration, and survival of corneal epithelial cells after injury, and eventually to find inhibitors and/or activators that can interfere with these events to control cellular proliferation and wound healing and prevent tissue damage and scarring.

Dr. Jean Jacob, in collaboration with Dr. Bryan Gebhardt, is investigating the development and testing of a biomimetic engineered surface that reduces the cornea’s wound-healing response to a synthetic implant. Attempts to replace the cornea with synthetic materials have met with limited success because they alter the normal eye epithelium and elicit an immune response. By tethering key proteins and growth factors to the transplant surface so that the material is more hospitable to the re-growth of the epithelial cell layer, Dr. Jean Jacob aims to improve the success of corneal replacement.