This $400,000 Project Grant, awarded by the National Science Foundation's Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074), supports research at Harvard University to investigate the mechanisms underlying the regeneration of polarity, or spatial organization, during whole-body regeneration in the acoel worm Hofstenia miamia.
The research aims to elucidate how this organism can precisely restore a fully functional head, including a new brain, or a tail in the correct location following injury or amputation. The project will examine gene regulation at multiple levels, including cell signaling, transcription, and post-transcriptional control, to determine how symmetric injury stimuli lead to asymmetric patterning outcomes that restore proper polarity. State-of-the-art sequencing and genome editing technologies will be leveraged to provide new insights into this remarkable regenerative capability. The findings are expected to advance the understanding of the mechanisms underlying the restoration of complex body plans during regeneration.