Marine Molecular Pathobiology
Pathobiology refers to the study of the biologic processes behind diseases.
The IIM's Marine Molecular Pathobiology group applies molecular and cellular methods to develop basic studies of the biology of diseases in marine organisms, specifically in molluscs. They then use their fundamental research to improve marine aquaculture sustainability and performance.
The group's research proposal merges a set of genetic and epigenetic tools together with microscopy and molecular biology to identify the agents causing the diseases, analyze host-pathogen interactions and study the activation and modulation of defense and resistance processes. They strive to understand the role of differential gene expression and its connection to the origin of the disease, advancing towards a more individualized disease management.
The group develops two main lines of work. On the one hand, they focus on early development in cephalopods, studying the genetic and molecular processes related to early development in mollusc species with potential for aquaculture. On the other, they dive into the genetic, environmental and nutritional regulatory processes related to the immune system and to the host-pathogen relationship.
Other interests of the Marine Molecular Pathobiology group range from the search of new bioactive products in cephalopod mucus and ink proteins (i.e., looking for new bacteriocidal agents) to the evaluation of the self-regenerative capabilities of this group of molluscs, including their potential for own vs. alien tissue recognition when facing the assimilation of tissue grafts.
In addition, the research team aims to transfer their knowledge, technology and data to allow easily applying their findings to basic research, thus ensuring a high-value relationship between investment and impact of their applied research.