معرفی
Michael Layden serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Lehigh University, where his research focuses on neural development and regeneration using the starlet sea anemone Nematostella vectensis as a model system. His laboratory investigates fundamental mechanisms underlying nervous system formation in cnidarians, which represent the closest relatives to bilaterian animals.
Dr. Layden's research centers on identifying evolutionary conserved mechanisms regulating neurogenesis, with particular emphasis on transcription factors like NvashA and signaling pathways such as Notch. His work bridges developmental biology and evolutionary neuroscience by comparing neural development across phylogenetically pivotal taxa. Key projects include characterizing NvashA's role in neural development during embryogenesis and regeneration, analyzing transgenic lines to map neuronal projections, and investigating the evolutionary origins of Notch signaling in neural differentiation.
His publication record demonstrates expertise in cnidarian model systems, neural specification, and comparative developmental genetics. Notable contributions include establishing Nematostella as a robust model for regeneration studies and revealing ancestral mechanisms of neural development through phylogenetic analysis.
Dr. Layden maintains active research operations through the Layden Lab, which develops specialized techniques for genetic manipulation in cnidarians including mRNA/morpholino microinjection and transgenic line characterization. His work has significant implications for understanding the evolutionary origins of centralized nervous systems and developing regenerative therapies.
