Reserach Programme

The broad scientific question that REGENERATE-IT focuses on is why some animals regenerate while others do not, with the outlook of devising regenerative therapies in humans based on this knowledge.

The research projects envisioned within REGENERATE-IT aim to fill the clear gap in knowledge that exists at the fundamental and applied levels of regenerative biology: namely the missing link between regulatory mechanisms in stem cells and the morphogenic events in cells and tissues that define successful regenerative outcomes.

REGENERATE-IT Models

To approach this complex problem in a structured way, we have formulated three scientific questions, addressing them in three research themes, also called as work packages (WPs).

  • WP1. How cell types are formed
  • WP2. How tissues are formed
  • WP3. How to control and manipulate regeneration

12 Projects in RGENERATE-IT

Project 1: Cellular dynamics of regeneration in Macrostomum.
(University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG)/ University of Groningen, The Netherlands)
Project 2: A targeted mutagenic CRISPR/Cas9 screen to identify and characterise regeneration-specific genes in the sea anemone Nematostella vectensis
(Institute for Research on Cancer & Aging – Nice, France)
Project 3: Early triggers of wound healing and regeneration
(ENS de Lyon, France)
Project 4: The role and regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during tissue regeneration
(Universiteit Hasselt, Belgium)
Project 5: Identifying epigenetic regulators of regeneration gene expression
(The Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria).
Project 6: Molecular profiling of newt limb blastema cells
(Karolinska Institute (KI), Stockholm, Sweden).
Project 7: Molecular profiling of the regenerating spiny mouse ear
(Osnabrück University (UOS), Osnabrück, Germany).
Project 8: Development of next-generation cell therapy protocols by exploiting knowledge from regenerating species
(San Raffaele Hospital (OSR), Milan, Italy).
Project 9: Cellular memory and intestinal regeneration
(University of Copenhagen (UCPH), Copenhagen, Denmark).
Project 10: Molecular characterisation of human epidermal stem cells and transient amplifying cells in homeostasis and wound healing
(University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (UNIMORE), Modena, Italy).
Project 11: Epigenetic memory and molecular mechanisms of organ regeneration in the zebrafish
(University of Bern (UBERN), Bern, Switzerland).
Project 12: The role and regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) during appendage and organ regeneration
(University of Manchester (UoM), Manchester, England)