However, in the presence of the cancer, the linker is cleaved by
MMP - 2, which
cause the two materials to be separated and the MRI signal switched «ON.»
Her research showed that degeneration is
caused by perturbations in the epidermis due to an increase in matrix - metalloproteinase 13 (
MMP - 13), an enzyme that degrades the collagen, or «glue,» between the cells.