The regeneration of the optic nerve and a cure for glaucoma could one day be possible thanks in part to findings from a study led by Giam Vega-Meléndez, a young 26 year-old Puerto Rican graduate student who is on a fast-track to a research career. Vega found that certain proteins, naturally released by the body during development, can promote the regrowth of optic the nerve after injury or degeneration. The research project was conducted in its entirety by Vega-Meléndez, a graduate student in the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences campus (UPR-MSC), under the direction of Dr.