Project Grant R01AR088074

The National Institutes of Health National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases awarded the University of California, Los Angeles $493,148 on September 3, 2026, under the Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research program (CFDA 93.846) to characterize mechanisms of intra-epithelial migration in the developing epidermis.

The project uses live imaging of developing zebrafish to investigate how specialized cell types arising from basal epidermal cells—specifically mucus-secreting cells and ion-transporting cells—migrate through the intra-epithelial space, integrate into the superficial epithelium, and differentiate. The research addresses a gap in understanding how cells disperse and distribute widely through epithelial tissues including the skin, cornea, mouth lining, gut, lung, kidney, inner ear, prostate, and bladder. Prior work in zebrafish revealed that mucus-secreting cell and ion-transporting cell precursors originate from basal epidermal cells in the ventral embryo and migrate within the intra-epithelial space, but the mechanisms governing this migration remain undocumented. The study extends existing knowledge of cell migration through extracellular matrix-rich environments to the understudied context of ECM-poor epithelia.

UCLA's Office of Research Administration serves as the recipient. Performance occurs in Los Angeles, California. The award runs from September 3, 2026, through June 30, 2031.