Jacinto group

We use animal model systems to study molecular, cellular and developmental processes that are relevant for biomedical science. In recent years we have been using Drosophila to investigate the molecular basis of tissue dynamics and adhesion in a simple model of epithelial wound repair and in dorsal closure, an embryonic morphogenetic movement that has striking similarities to wound healing. Presently, our group is extending those studies and investigating the mechanisms that regulate the recruitment of macrophage-like blood cells to wound sites. In the future we would like to translate some of the Drosophila wound healing studies to vertebrate models like mouse and chicken and, if possible, humans. We are also interested in exploring parallels between Drosophila dorsal closure and vertebrate neural tube closure