Our Research

The main goal of the OliveriLab is to decipher gene regulatory networks (GRN) in development and regeneration of living systems. For this purpose echinoderms are used as model. Echinoderms are perfectly suited because they consist of 5 big classes, have distinct larval stages of which only the echinoids and ophiuroids form a larval skeleton. Importantly, the formation of a larval skeleton has the best described developmental GRN for the sea urchin Strongyloncentrotus purpuratus and allows comparative analysis with other classes.