Ava Udvadia, 51ΑΤΖζ associate professor of biological sciences, has been named by the University of Wisconsin System as one of three 2021 Regent Scholar recipients. The honor recognizes both Udvadiaβs research into the genetics that allow healing of nerve damage and also her efforts to encourage undergraduates to participate in that work.
The UWS Regent Scholar program , which was introduced in 2014, provides a one-time $50,000 grant to individual faculty members or campus programs that undertake undergraduate research projects having the potential to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and talent development.
βThis is significant recognition and a wonderful statement about the exponential impact of Dr. Udvadiaβs work,β said 51ΑΤΖζ Chancellor Mark Mone. βWe are extremely proud of Dr. Udvadia and her students. I commend her for carrying the torch for future young scientists and researchers.β
Udvadiaβs research may one day provide new treatments for human eye injuries or diseases, such as glaucoma, that cause permanent vision loss.
Her work is inspired by fish, which can restore full function of their optical nerve cells after damage and regain lost sight. Vision requires both the light information detected by eyes and its translation by the brain, a connection made by the optical nerve cells.
This process of replacing the cellular parts needed to transmit visual information to the brain is called regeneration. However, the central nervous system cells in humans do not regenerate, even though they have the same genes and pathways used by fish.
βFish, frogs, salamanders, mice and humans β we all run a genetic program to build this connection from the eye to the brain in the same way,β Udvadia said. βWhat are the instructions that fish use to turn genes on and off in order for that regeneration to happen? We want to be able to apply that ultimately to human patients.β
She and her team have identified more than 7,000 genes involved in the regeneration process. The researchers categorized which genesβ expressions peaked during the early, middle and later portions of the fish regeneration timeline. This approach has revealed the gene programming that tells the cell which genes to turn on and off for regeneration, and when to do it. They also have learned about changes in βtranscription factorsβ β chemicals that bind to the DNA and control the genes for regeneration.
Now the researchers are equipped to work on the next piece of the puzzle: identify from among these transcription factors which ones are different between mammals (including humans) and fish.
Udvadia said that research experience for undergraduates equals workforce development because hard work and creativity by students make scientific discoveries possible. She described her own undergraduate research experience as powerful.
βBeing able to give that experience to our undergraduates, thatβs probably been the thing that Iβve loved the most at 51ΑΤΖζ,β she said. βHere, they play an active role in our research, and thatβs a lot of what my lab has always been all about.β
The UW Board of Regents announced the grant recipients at its April 8 video-conferenced meeting.
By Laura Otto, University Relations