Cephalopods and humans independently evolved camera-like eyes, a high-pressure cardiovascular system and a complex nervous system. This evolutionary convergence makes cephalopods an ideal comparative model to vertebrates for understanding the complexity of their systems. As a researcher, I am interested in cephalopod novel and convergent traits, and more particularly in the evolutionary processes behind their complex neural system and behaviour.
|
Publication of the first sequenced cephalopod genome in 2015 has provided researchers with an immense amount of data. Focus is now shifting to the development of powerful gene editing tools, such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system, to functionally explore and edit the genomes of diverse cephalopod species. My PhD will be devoted to the generation and culture of cephalopod lines genetically expressing calcium/voltage indicators or optogenetic actuators. The end goal being to couple quantification of dynamic body patterning with imaging/control of neural circuits in species with a wide behavioural repertoire, such as the Common Cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis).
|