Nexus Biology Group

We are an interdisciplinary group of scientists that seeks understand compelling issues in biology using a highly integrative framework.  The Nexus Biology Working Group is Dr. James R. Monaghan, François Michonneau, Dr. Bret Pasch, Dr. Ashley W Seifert, Dr. Matthew Smith, and Dr. Adrian C. Stier.

Nexus Biology Website

Project: Integrative Regeneration

A great deal of the research on regeneration has been aimed at cellular and molecular levels, but few studies have addressed regenerative ability in a broader context.  So, despite being one of the most compelling topics in biology, basic questions remain unanswered.  For example, among tetrapods why is the ability to regenerate limbs restricted to salamanders?  Is regenerative ability constrained by fundamental traits such as body size, age, life stage, or growth pattern?  In collaboration with Dr. Malcolm Maden, this project aims to better understand regeneration at a variety of biological scales.  We have been conducting a large scale experiment to understand the relationship between fundamental traits and regeneration rate and success in axolotls, Ambystoma mexicanum.

Related Publications:

Seifert, A.W., J.R. Monaghan, M.D. Smith, B. Pasch, A.C. Stier, F. Michonneau, and M. Maden.  2012.  The influence of functional traits on mechanisms controlling appendage regeneration.  Biological Reviews 87:330-345

Monaghan, J.R., A.W. Seifert, A.C. Stier, F. Michonneau, M.D. Smith, B. Pasch, and M. Maden.  In Review.  Metamorphosis impedes limb regeneration in axolotls.  Proc. Roy. Soc.