Image of the Month
Confetti Cornea
The winning entry from the ARVO 2016 Scientific Image Contest, this image depicts a cornea from a K14CreER-Confetti mouse containing the four color Brainbow reporter cassette. The multicolored radial streaks develop after induction of the transgene with tamoxifen, and arise from Keratin 14-expressing progenitor cells, positioned in the limbal annulus. Nick Di Girolamo and his colleagues developed the model to better understand basic corneal biology and how stem cells function to replenish the cornea throughout life. Nick says “This model lends itself beautifully to studying when corneal stem cells are designated and their destiny during aging, and how they behave during corneal wounding and following transplantation. We believe this technology will be used to help address some of the controversies and limitations that have plagued our field for decades. Our ultimate goal is to translate our findings to the clinic.”
Image courtesy of Associate Professor Nick Di Girolamo from the School of Medical Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
