Bachelor in Biology
Master in Cell and Developmental Biology
Joined the group in 2023
Research project: The role and regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during tissue regeneration
Understanding the regeneration process in a “simple” but highly regenerative model organism like the planarian (flatworm) Schmidtea mediterranea will open an opportunity to understand how higher species handle regeneration and wound healing, and which key factors may be essential for guiding the regeneration process.
I am taking a closer look at the balance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants (AOX) occurring during the regeneration process. The question that arises is: Which mediators are controlling the level of ROS? One possible candidate identified is Skn, a Nrf2-like protein, which may act as a sensor to recognize high ROS levels. Its transcriptional function is thought to induce an AOX response to avoid ROS-induced cell damage and subsequent apoptosis. Not only is this regulation mystery of interest, but furthermore, it remains unclear which cells are primarily involved in the regeneration-induced ROS burst and to what extent mitochondrial dynamics—the main producers of ROS—are involved.
A lot to discover …
My favorite quote: “Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity.” ― Horace Mann