Research Summary
Lab
Our group is interested in investigating hypotheses on basic skin questions that are directly relevant to skin disease in humans. We hope that through rigorous hypothesis-driven research into skin biology, we will gain important insights that will directly improve patient care.
Our model system is the skin. To answer basic questions regarding stem cell biology and regeneration, we choose the skin because of its accessibility, the depth of current knowledge, and the complexity of epithelial/mesenchymal interactions in the context of relevant vasculature, nerves and hematopoietic cells.
The current focus of the lab is what controls and maintains skin identity. Regions of our skin are remarkably diverse in function and features. Despite constant cellular turnover, each area’s features are remarkably maintained. We study how, under normal conditions, identity is actively maintained and how it might be manipulated. We also study how, during wounding, skin identity is typically lost (i.e., scar), but in rare situations complete regeneration occurs.
Understanding these questions will have broad significance to regeneration and stem cell biology in multiple organs. Understanding wound healing programs that re-initiate embryonic developmental patterns might eventually lead to insights on how to trigger the re-growth of a severed human limb, for example.
Lab Website: Garza Laboratory
Clinical Trials
"Effects of Antibiotics and Acne on the Skin Microbiome"
"Feasibility Study for Fibroblast Autologous Skin Grafts"
"Timolol for the Treatment of Acne and Rosacea"
Selected Publications
Nelson AM, Reddy SK, Ratliff TS, Hossain MZ, Katseff AS, Zhu AS, et al. dsRNA Released by Tissue Damage Activates TLR3 to Drive Skin Regeneration. Cell Stem Cell. 2015;17(2):139-51. Epub 2015/08/09. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2015.07.008. PubMed PMID: 26253200; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC4529957
Vandiver AR, Irizarry RA, Hansen KD, Garza LA, Runarsson A, Li X, et al. Age and sun exposure-related widespread genomic blocks of hypomethylation in nonmalignant skin. Genome Biol. 2015;16:80. doi: 10.1186/s13059-015-0644-y. PubMed PMID: 25886480; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC4423110
Kim D, Hossain MZ, Nieves A, Gu L, Ratliff TS, Mi Oh S, et al. To Control Site-Specific Skin Gene Expression, Autocrine Mimics Paracrine Canonical Wnt Signaling and Is Activated Ectopically in Skin Disease. Am J Pathol. 2016;186(5):1140-50. Epub 2016/04/24. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2015.12.030. PubMed PMID: 27105735
Zhu AS, Li A, Ratliff TS, Melsom M, Garza LA. After Skin Wounding, Noncoding dsRNA Coordinates Prostaglandins and Wnts to Promote Regeneration. J Invest Dermatol. 2017;137(7):1562-8. Epub 2017/04/11. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2017.03.023. PubMed PMID: 28392344; PubMed Central PMCID: PMCPMC5483387
Zhou R, Wang G, Kim D, Kim S, Islam N, Chen R, et al. dsRNA sensing induces loss of cell identity. J Invest Dermatol. 2018. Epub 2018/08/19. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2018.07.021. PubMed PMID: 30120933
Kim D, Chen R, Sheu M, Kim N, Kim S, Islam N, et al. Noncoding dsRNA induces retinoic acid synthesis to stimulate hair follicle regeneration via TLR3. Nature Communications. 2019;10(1):2811. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-10811-y. PubMed PMID: 31243280; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6594970
Zhou R, Wang G, Kim D, Kim S, Islam N, Chen R, et al. dsRNA Sensing Induces Loss of Cell Identity. J Invest Dermatol. 2019;139(1):91-9. Epub 2018/08/19. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2018.07.021. PubMed PMID: 30120933
Wang G, Sweren E, Liu H, Wier E, Alphonse MP, Chen R, et al. Bacteria induce skin regeneration via IL-1β signaling. Cell Host & Microbe. 2021. Epub 2021/04/03. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2021.03.003. PubMed PMID: 33798492
Patents
Method for removing mercury and selenium from sulfate-containing waste water
Patent # 10,183,879 |
Compositions and methods for promoting skin regeneration and hair growth
Patent # 10,105,305 |
Methods and compositions for inhibiting or reducing hair loss, acne, rosacea, prostate cancer, and BPH
Patent # 9,889,082 |
Methods and compositions for inhibiting or reducing hair loss, acne, rosacea, prostate cancer, and BPH
Patent # 9,254,293 |
Hyperspectral imaging for detection of skin related conditions
Patent # 8,761,476 |
Remote sensing system
Patent # 8,242,93 |
