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Research group

Marine Molecular Pathobiology

Description

Pathobiology refers to the study of the biological processes underlying diseases.

The Marine Molecular Pathobiology Research Group at IIM applies molecular and cellular methods to study basic aspects of disease biology in marine organisms, specifically in mollusks. It then applies this fundamental research to improve the sustainability and performance of marine aquaculture.

The group's research proposal brings together a set of genetic and epigenetic tools, as well as microscopy and molecular biology techniques, to identify disease-causing agents, analyze pathogen-host interactions and study the activation and modulation of defense and resistance processes. The group strives to understand the role of differential gene expression and its relationship with the origin of disease, moving towards more individualized disease management.

The group develops two main lines of work. On the one hand, it focuses on the early developmental stages of cephalopods to study genetic and molecular processes related to early development in mollusk species with aquaculture potential. On the other, it explores regulatory processes at genetic, environmental and nutritional levels that are related to the immune system and to the parasite-host relationship.

Other interests of the Marine Molecular Pathobiology Group range from the search for new bioactive products in cephalopod mucus and ink proteins (in an effort to find new bactericidal agents) to the assessment of the self-regeneration capacities of this group of mollusks, including their potential for recognizing self versus non-self tissues in the context of tissue graft assimilation.

In addition, the research group aims to transfer its knowledge, technologies and data to facilitate the application of its discoveries in basic research, thereby ensuring a high impact of its applied research in relation to the investment made.

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Publications