Finding possible research topics was like curating a skincare routine that must be changed or redefined when needed on a frequent basis. With my interests and love of beauty, I began the creative process of developing possible research topics on beauty products.  My ideas ranged from testing only specific concentrations of ingredients found in all types of cosmetics, including makeup, body, and hair care, to testing harmful ingredients in cosmetics that could be exposed to model organisms to assess behavioral impacts. However, none of these ideas seemed to fit right with what I wanted, and I either faced obstacles with ideas that were not feasible for a high school student or were costly. So, I started from scratch and, similar to changing up a skincare routine to new products that target different aspects of the skin, I began to only focus my project on skincare products. This led me to narrow my focus on ingredients found in current skincare products on the market, which then led me to come across the ingredient ectoine (ECT). Known to be commonly found in anti-aging and for its protective properties, I decided to correlate my findings of ectoine (ECT) to testing its potential as regenerative medicine. Thus, leading me to determine my model organism, Planaria and to my research question: Do the protective properties of the amino acid ectoine (ECT) increase blastema growth/production in Planaria?

Previous studies done by scientists in the Department of Cosmetics and Food, Graf et al. (2008), have extended their findings of exposing ectoine (ECT) to epidermal Langerhans cells. The main purpose of their research was to evaluate the protective properties that ectoine (ECT) can provide in cells when oxidatively stressed. Their findings demonstrated that exposure to certain concentrations of  ectoine (ECT) demonstrates stabilizing effects in the cell membrane of the Langerhans cells, making this a crucial piece of research that validates that ectoine (ECT) can provide protective properties on the molecular level (Graf et al. 2008).

Additionally, other studies done by scientists Damla Tuncer Budanur et al. (2018) have also exposed ectoine (ECT) to periodontal ligament (PDL) mesenchymal stem cells. Their findings have shown that ectoine (ECT) exposure to PDL stem cells has significantly increased cell viability, indicating enhanced cellular resilience. While their study yielded positive results in ectoine (ECT) being provided as a possible use for regenerative medicine, their study fails to evaluate the extent to which ectoine (ECT) can be used in all types of regenerative medicine and science, not just in periodontal ligament stem cells (Damla Tuncer Budanur et al., 2018).

While studies done by both Graf et al. (2008) and Damla Tuncer Budnaur et al. (2018) have shown promising results of ectoine (ECT) to be used in regenerative medicine, it is still unknown the what extent which ectoine (ECT) can be used in different types of regenerative therapy and medicine. In both studies, their exposure of ectoine (ECT) has only been done in differentiated cells, which are cells with specialized functions, and have not been exposed to undifferentiated cells, cells with no specific characteristics. Thus, this brings in the gap of exposing ectoine (ECT) to undifferentiated cells to further understanding the extent of ectoine’s (ECT) potential in regenerative medicine. To analyze this, Planaria, which are made up of undifferentiated pluripotent cells, will be utilized to understand this gap, as ectoine (ECT) has never been used on this model organism. 

I will be replicating my methodology based on Campillo et al. (2023) study for blastema growth as a quantitative way of observing my results and Dean & Duncan (2018) for proper housing of the Planaria.

Experimental Design:

15 planarians per group for each trial. A total of three trials will be conducted throughout the entirety of the experiment which will allocate a total of 45 Planaria for the control group and a total of 45 Planaria for the experimental group. Thus, a total of 90 planarians will be utilized throughout this study.  

The control group will be exposed to no concentration of ectoine (ECT) and the regeneration process of each Planaria will be assessed over the course of six to ten days. The experimental group will receive a dosage concentration of ectoine determined in pre-trials. This design allows for a visual and direct comparison between the effects of ectoine on planarian regeneration and to the control. Both the experimental group and control group will be housed in a consistent temperature of 21 degrees Celsius and out of direct sunlight (Carolina Biological Supply, 2019). Constants of this experiment will include feeding of the Planaria, storage conditions, and consistent environment in which both the control and experimental group of Planaria will live in (Carolina Biological Supply, 2019; Dean & Duncan, 2020).

Stem cell and regenerative science has become an expanded field of research within the research and science community. With new studies emerging around regenerative medicine for stem cell regenerative therapy, these advancements have opened new applications to successful tissue regeneration and organ transplants for patients in need of specific organs, opening new possibilities to regenerative science (Pellettieri et al. 2010). However, challenges are still limiting the expansion of knowledge behind regenerative science, despite technological advancements, as the efficiency of creating substantial regenerative medicine for patients in need and the safety behind the process of regenerative therapy have been limited. Thus, looking into new methods or potential medicine to test for regeneration is crucial to further understand modern science's ability in the field of stem cell regeneration.