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Jessica Whited is an Associate Professor in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University. Her research focuses on understanding how axolotl salamanders regenerate limbs, with insights aimed at developing regenerative therapies for humans. The Whited lab investigates the initiation responses that enable salamanders to form blastemas, which are structures at the injury site where progenitor cells gather to grow a new limb. Their work has revealed a body-wide activation response to amputation, governed by the peripheral nervous system, which primes progenitor cells for regeneration. Through powerful tools like retroviral infections, transgenesis, and knock-down approaches, the lab analyzes the function of genes identified through sequencing efforts. The ultimate goal is to understand the molecular mechanisms that allow the axolotl to regenerate limbs and how these insights can inform strategies to stimulate similar regeneration in humans.
Harvard University • Cambridge, MA
Leading research on limb regeneration in axolotl salamanders.
Administered by the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).