Our research addresses the formation of the brain and eyes using zebrafish as a model system.  One major focus is on brain asymmetry.  It is likely that the nervous systems of all bilaterally symmetric animals are left-right asymmetric with respect to processing of information and control of behaviour. However, we know very little about how asymmetries arise in development, how they are encoded in circuits and what their importance is for nervous system function. We use developmental, genetic, imaging and behavioural approaches to study habenular asymmetry in zebrafish to address these issues.  We are also studying eye formation, a process is highly conserved across vertebrates. 

Through a programme of research led by Gaia Gestri, we aim to identify new genes required for eye formation, elucidate how these genes contribute to the developmental mechanisms that underlie specification, morphogenesis and growth of the eye and explore reasons why developmental eye phenotypes show such variable penetrance and expressivity.  Finally we are also using zebrafish models to help understand the genetic and biological basis of various diseases and congenital conditions.  Among the diseases we are currently studying are early onset neurodegenerative conditions caused by imbalance of metals such as manganese.

The UCL zebrafish website will give you more details of some of our lab’s research projects and publications (www.ucl.ac.uk/zebrafish-group/)