Experimental Models

Animal Systems Biology

Our faculty study essential biological processes with particular relevance to the understanding of animal life. The research of this group pursues the mechanisms of sensory and neuronal processing, hormonal physiology and metabolism, advancing the fields of animal biology and human health.

Focus on animal models for neurobiology and endocrinology

Faculty in Animal Systems Biology study complex physiological and developmental processes in model animals. These systems offer important experimental advantages in their accessibility, genetic resources, or amenability to specialized biochemical and molecular analysis. The systems used include rats and mice, zebrafish, the fruit fly Drosophila, and the nematode worm C. elegans. With modern tools and techniques, our faculty creatively explore key questions relating to sensory biology and neuronal processing, gene and protein expression in metabolic syndromes, and organismal integration through endocrine signaling.

The faculty group includes Drs. Derek Daniels, Denise Ferkey, Shermali Gunawardena, and Matthew Xu-Friedman.