Biemar

Welcome!

Our laboratory studies the gene regulatory networks (GRNs) that control animal development and disease, with a particular emphasis on microRNAs (miRNAs) and other non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). The long-term goal of our research is to determine the role of ncRNAs during embryonic development and how they integrate the complex network of gene regulation established by protein-coding genes. Work in our lab revolves around on two major topics: (1) the role of ncRNAs in the regulatory networks that control patterning of the mesoderm, and the specification of mesoderm derivatives (e.g. muscle and heart) in the fruitfly Drosophila melanogaster, and (2) the gene regulatory network that governs pancreatic endocrine cell differentiation in zebrafish (Danio rerio).