{"id":234,"date":"2022-12-01T15:55:31","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T15:55:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/?post_type=research_group&#038;p=234"},"modified":"2022-12-21T10:29:06","modified_gmt":"2022-12-21T10:29:06","slug":"somorjai-lab","status":"publish","type":"research_group","link":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/research-group\/somorjai-lab\/","title":{"rendered":"Somorjai Lab"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the<span>\u00a0<\/span><a title=\"Dr Ildiko Somorjai\" href=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/dr-ildiko-somorjai\/\">Somorjai<\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span>Lab!<\/p>\n<p>We are interested in studying development in a comparative evolutionary context, with particular reference to chordates. We use the cephalochordate amphioxus as our main study species due to its relative genomic and morphological simplicity, and its phylogenetic position basal to the vertebrates. The main thrust of the lab\u2019s research is currently in developing amphioxus as a model system for regeneration studies. Understanding the diversity of molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying regeneration of complex structures has important implications for biomedicine. However, we are also interested in basic questions in developmental biology and evolution: how is morphological diversity generated, what signalling pathways and cellular behaviours are involved, and when did novelties arise?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We are interested in studying development in a comparative evolutionary context, with particular reference to chordates. We use the cephalochordate amphioxus as our main study species due to its relative genomic and morphological simplicity, and its phylogenetic position basal to the vertebrates.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":235,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-234","research_group","type-research_group","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"group_members":"<header class=\"entry-header\" aria-label=\"Content\">\r\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Dr Ildiko Somorjai<\/h1>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/P1000862-e1422551252925.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-118\" title=\"Dr Somorjai in Paris\" src=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/P1000862-e1422551252925-211x300.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/P1000862-e1422551252925-211x300.jpg 211w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/P1000862-e1422551252925-722x1024.jpg 722w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/P1000862-e1422551252925-768x1090.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/P1000862-e1422551252925-1082x1536.jpg 1082w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/P1000862-e1422551252925-1443x2048.jpg 1443w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/P1000862-e1422551252925-scaled.jpg 1804w\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"287\" \/><\/a>\r\n\r\nBrief CV\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>2018-current: Senior Lecturer\/Associate Professor, University of St Andrews, UK<\/li>\r\n \t<li>2012-2018: MASTS Lecturer\/Assistant Professor, University of St Andrews, UK<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>2011-2012: Postdoctoral fellow, University of Heidelberg, Germany<\/li>\r\n \t<li>2009-2011: Marie Curie IEF Postdoctoral fellow, University of Barcelona, Spain<\/li>\r\n \t<li>2007-2009: CNRS Postdoctoral fellow, UPMC ParisVI, Banyuls-sur-Mer, France<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>2002-2006: Wellcome Trust 4 yr PhD Programme, University of Cambridge, UK<\/li>\r\n \t<li>1998-2001: MSc, University of Guelph, Canada<\/li>\r\n \t<li>1994-1998: BSc Honours, University of Toronto, Canada.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<header class=\"entry-header\" aria-label=\"Content\">\r\n<h2 class=\"entry-title\">Graduate Students<\/h2>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\r\n\r\n<strong>Mr Tom Barton-Owen<\/strong>\r\nPhD Student Apprentice (co-supervised with<span>\u00a0<\/span><a title=\"David Ferrier webpage\" href=\"http:\/\/synergy.st-andrews.ac.uk\/edge\/\">Dr David Ferrier<\/a>)\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/Tom21.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-170\" src=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/Tom21-150x150.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/Tom21-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/Tom21-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/Tom21-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/Tom21.jpg 960w\" alt=\"Tom2\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Ms Sarah Blincko<\/strong>\r\nEASTBio PhD Student\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2018\/07\/sarah-photo-for-website-e1530527779581.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-272 \" src=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2018\/07\/sarah-photo-for-website-e1530527779581.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2018\/07\/sarah-photo-for-website-e1530527779581.jpg 239w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2018\/07\/sarah-photo-for-website-e1530527779581-150x150.jpg 150w\" alt=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Mr Jack Holcombe<\/strong>\r\nMSc (Research) Student\r\n<div id=\"page\" class=\"site grid-container container hfeed\">\r\n<div id=\"content\" class=\"site-content\">\r\n<div id=\"primary\" class=\"content-area\"><main id=\"main\" class=\"site-main\"><article id=\"post-25\" class=\"post-25 page type-page status-publish has-post-thumbnail\">\r\n<div class=\"inside-article\"><header class=\"entry-header\" aria-label=\"Content\">\r\n<h2 class=\"entry-title\">Undergraduate Students<\/h2>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\r\n\r\n<em>Current students<\/em>\r\n\r\n<strong>Mr John Murray<\/strong>\r\n\r\n4th year Honours project student\r\n\r\n<strong>Ms Rosie Sinclair<\/strong>\r\n\r\n4th year Honours project student\r\n\r\n<em>Past\u00a0students<\/em>\r\n\r\n<strong>Ms Ashley Bae<\/strong>\r\n3rd year volunteer\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/AshleyBae.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-176\" src=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/AshleyBae-150x150.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/AshleyBae-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/AshleyBae-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/AshleyBae-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/AshleyBae.jpg 960w\" alt=\"AshleyBae\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Mr Keir MacArtney<\/strong>\r\n3rd year volunteer\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/keir-macartney-photo.jpg\"><img class=\"alignnone wp-image-153 size-thumbnail\" title=\"Keir\" src=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/keir-macartney-photo-150x150.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/keir-macartney-photo-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/keir-macartney-photo-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/keir-macartney-photo-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/keir-macartney-photo.jpg 960w\" alt=\"keir macartney photo\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" \/><\/a>\r\n\r\n<strong>Mr Matthew Shaw<\/strong>\r\n4th year Honours project student\r\n\r\n<strong>Ms Danya Goldberg<\/strong>\r\n4th year Honours project student\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/article><\/main><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"site-footer grid-container\">\r\n<div id=\"footer-widgets\" class=\"site footer-widgets\">\r\n<div class=\"footer-widgets-container grid-container\">\r\n<div class=\"inside-footer-widgets\">\r\n<div class=\"footer-widget-1\"><aside id=\"text-2\" class=\"widget inner-padding widget_text\">\r\n<div class=\"textwidget\"><\/div>\r\n<\/aside><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","publications":"[publications flag='individual' code='imls' dois='1' max='10' categorise='1']","research_projects":"<header class=\"entry-header\" aria-label=\"Content\">\r\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Developing amphioxus as a chordate regeneration model<\/h1>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\r\n\r\nAmphioxus, like some vertebrates such as salamanders, is endowedwith impressive regenerative ability even as an adult. The species we use in the lab,<span>\u00a0<\/span><em>Branchiostoma lanceolatum<\/em>, \u00a0can regenerate all major axial structures of the tail, including segmented musculature, notochord and nerve cord. Amphioxus may therefore be an invaluable system for understanding the evolution and cellular basis of regeneration in chordates. While many resources\u00a0are available to do research in cephalochordates, including several fully sequenced genomes and transcriptomic data, as well as techniques like microinjection,<span>\u00a0<\/span><em>in situ<\/em><span>\u00a0<\/span>hybridisation and immunohistochemistry, it is currently not a tractable genetic system for post-embryonic research. One of the lab\u2019s main goals is\u00a0to develop\u00a0the functional tools necessary to study regeneration in amphioxus adults.\u00a0Success in this endeavour will have a major impact on our ability to perform comparative analyses with other systems, and can inform future research in more complex vertebrate systems by\u00a0providing an\u00a0ethically acceptable invertebrate\u00a0model.\r\n\r\n<header class=\"entry-header\" aria-label=\"Content\">\r\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Developmental control genes in regeneration<\/h1>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\r\n\r\n\u201cPerfect\u201d\u00a0regeneration of complex structures is accomplished through\u00a0the coordination of proliferation, cell death, metabolism, cell migration, and patterning events.\u00a0The\u00a0signalling pathways responsible for normal development need to be\u00a0re-initiated after wound healing in the correct spatio-temporal sequences to ensure integration of the new structures with the remaining mature tissues. We are interested in how developmental control genes like homeobox transcription factors (e.g. Hox, Pax) are re-deployed during regeneration in different groups. Specifically, can we identify commonalities in their expression and function during regeneration of the amphioxus tail, an axial structure, and the annelid operculum, an evolutionary novelty? How much does regeneration really recapitulate development? In collaboration\u00a0with Dr Ferrier, we are combining transcriptomics of regenerating tissues with<span>\u00a0<\/span><em>in situ<\/em><span>\u00a0<\/span>hybridisation to visualise patterns of gene expression\u00a0in an effort to characterise these systems.\r\n\r\n<header class=\"entry-header\" aria-label=\"Content\">\r\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Evolution of chordate development<\/h1>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\r\n\r\nUnderstanding developmental mechanisms is key to understanding regeneration. However, studying development within an evolutionary or comparative context provides clues about the\u00a0plasticity of mechanisms that generated the diversity in morphologies\u00a0we see today. \u00a0We use amphioxus as a\u00a0proxy for the chordate ancestor due to its sister relationship to the clade containing vertebrates and ascidians, and because it has comparatively more simple genome organisation and anatomy. We are particularly interested in understanding the coordinated regulation of signalling pathways like Wnt and BMP in amphioxus tailbud formation, and how this\u00a0differs from vertebrate models like zebrafish. Our tools include immunohistochemistry,<span>\u00a0<\/span><em>in situ<\/em><span>\u00a0<\/span>hybridisation and pharmacological treatment of embryos to disrupt signalling in key\u00a0developmental windows.\r\n<figure id=\"attachment_209\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-209\"><a href=\"http:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/CONaEN10_24_actub_2.CMY_1.jpg\"><img class=\"wp-image-209 \" src=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/CONaEN10_24_actub_2.CMY_1.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 611px) 100vw, 611px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/CONaEN10_24_actub_2.CMY_1.jpg 1161w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/CONaEN10_24_actub_2.CMY_1-300x152.jpg 300w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/CONaEN10_24_actub_2.CMY_1-1024x519.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/cord.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk\/files\/2015\/01\/CONaEN10_24_actub_2.CMY_1-768x390.jpg 768w\" alt=\"Confocal image of late neurula\" width=\"611\" height=\"310\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-209\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Confocal image of amphioxus late neurula showing axons and cilia in yellow, nuclei in magenta and cell membranes in cyan. The anterior of the embryo is to the left, and dorsal is up (Photo: Ildiko Somorjai).\r\n\r\n<header class=\"entry-header\" aria-label=\"Content\">\r\n<h1 class=\"entry-title\">Funding<\/h1>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"entry-content\">\r\n\r\nCurrent Funding\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>2014: MASTS PECRE young investigator grant to IMLS<\/li>\r\n \t<li>2014: Royal Society Research\u00a0Grant to IMLS<\/li>\r\n \t<li>2014: BSDB Gurdon Studentship for summer vacation work to Ashley Bae\/IMLS<\/li>\r\n \t<li>2012-2014: MASTS<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nPast Funding\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>2009-2011: Marie Curie (FP7 People Programme)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>","related_theme":false,"related_centre":[{"ID":77,"post_title":"Biomedical Sciences Research Complex","post_content":"<span>The\u00a0Biomedical Sciences Research Complex (BSRC) is an interdisciplinary centre for biomedical research with contributions from the Schools of Biology, Chemistry, Medicine, Physics and Astronomy.\u00a0The BSRC's main research themes are infection and immunity, biophysics, molecular medicine, and chemical biology.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/bsrc\">Main Website<\/a>","post_excerpt":"","post_author":"4","post_date":"2022-01-17 15:53:50","post_date_gmt":"2022-01-17 15:53:50","post_status":"publish","comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","post_password":"","post_name":"biomedical-sciences-research-complex","to_ping":"","pinged":"","post_modified":"2022-09-20 13:31:47","post_modified_gmt":"2022-09-20 12:31:47","post_content_filtered":"","post_parent":0,"guid":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/?post_type=research_centre&#038;p=77","menu_order":0,"post_type":"research_centre","post_mime_type":"","comment_count":"0","comments":false,"id":77}],"contact":"<span>I currently have no openings, but am happy to support applications for postdoctoral fellowships to join the lab.<\/span>\r\n<span>PhD applications open from September. Masters (by Research) are available as well. Please stay tuned for further information!<\/span>\r\n\r\nPlease contact me at imls@st-andrews.ac.uk","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research_group\/234","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/research_group"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/research_group"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/80"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/biology.st-andrews.ac.uk\/research\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}