My research aims at unravelling the remarkable ability of zebrafish to regenerate axonal connections and recover function after spinal cord injury. I want to understand how these animals accomplish such a complex task with the ultimate goal of applying this knowledge to contribute to the development of therapeutic interventions that foster regeneration in humans. Specifically, we focus on elucidating the composition, regulation and mechanical properties of the  microenvironment in the spinal lesion site, which in contrast to that in humans, is conducive to axon regeneration. To this end, we are using a broad range of state-of-the-art optical imaging technologies, such as Brillouin microscopy, and genetic and molecular biology tools.

Find more information on our website.