• An Fgf8-dependent bi-stable cell migratory event establishes CNS asymmetry. Regan J.C., Concha M.L., Roussigne M., Russell C., and Wilson S.W. (2009) Neuron 61, 27-34. This study presents a mechanism for breaking neuroanatomical symmetry through Fgf8-dependent regulation of bi-stable left- or right-sided migration of the parapineal. [view]
• Zebrafish and medaka: model organisms for a comparative developmental approach of brain asymmetry. Signore I.A., Guerrero N., Loosli F., Colombo A., Villalon A., Wittbrodt J., and Concha M.L. (2009) Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci . This article highlights the usefulness of zebrafish and medaka as comparative models to study the developmental mechanisms of epithalamic asymmetry in vertebrates. [view]
• Mechanisms of directional asymmetry in the zebrafish epithalamus (2009) Concha M.L., Signore I.A., and Colombo A. (2009) Semin Cell Dev Bio . This review summarises our current understanding on the mechanisms that generate directional asymmetries, and proposes a sequential modular organisation of the events controlling the development of asymmetry in the zebrafish brain. [view]

CONICYT awarded a total of 600 Postgraduate Schollarships in the 2009 National competition. See details of the Schollarship [view] and the list of PhD students awarded in 2009 [view].

The project lead by Miguel Concha will investigate EVO-DEVO (evolutionary developmental biology) aspects of brain asymmetry in vertebrates, using the teleosts zebrafish and medaka as model organisms [more]. The project lead by Steffen Hartel, where Miguel Concha is co-investigator, will develop mathematical approaches for 3D photon denoising, optical flow and adjacent active surface models for high throughput in vivo spinning disk microscopy [more].

The PBCT Research Ring ACT47 "Center for the analysis of gene function in neural development" was a collaborative research initiative that combined different expertises and model organisms of four independent investigators to study the role of genes in neural development. Miguel Concha MD PhD (Director) studied the development of left-right asymmetries in zebrafish; Manuel Kukuljan MD PhD neurogenesis sin Xenopus and mouse; Jimena Sierralta PhD scaffolding proteins in Drosophila; and Steffen Hartel PhD provided expertise for image analysis.

An extract from the report included: "....On a professional note, I just wanted to add that Act47 was by far the most impressive in every way. I think this group managed to capture the essence of what you are trying to achieve with the Ring Grants: a common conceptual focus with fundamental interest and commitment from all the group, and a constructive and well-balanced effort to achieve the broader goals of the proposal. For me it was a straigthforward pleasure to see what they were able to do as a cohesive group, and I do hope that they will be able to continue the good work. Seriosuly impressive, on a world-class standard !".

The Millenium Science Initiative (MSI, Chile) provides competitive funds to generate Research Centers of Excellence named "Nuclei" [visit MSI website]. In the 2009 competition, 85 projects from different fields of the Natural and Exact Sciences applied to this initiative, but only 5 of them (including NEMO) received an award consisting of US$1 million to spend in a period of 3 years. [more]

NEMO will study the principles that generate form, structure and functional organisation in the central nervous system, following a multidiciplinary approach that combines expertises from six independent investigators: Miguel Concha MD PhD (Principal Investigator) holds expertise in developmental genetics, cellular morphogenesis, neural development, and uses zebrafish as a model organism; Andrés Couve PhD (Deputy PI) in molecular and cell biology in the context of the mammalian neuron; Steffen Hartel PhD in scientific image processing, confocal microscopy and pattern formation in biologic systems; Claudio Hetz PhD in cell and molecular biology, genetic manipulation in mice, and neurodegeneration in diverse animal models; Manuel Kukuljan MD PhD in neural development, cell physiology, and Xenopus and mice as model organisms; Jimena Sierralta PhD in cellular biology, physiology of the synapse, biochemistry and Drosophila as a model.

The appearance of NEMO has been covered by the media:

• EL MERCURIO Newspaper [view]
• EL PULSO Magazine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chile [view]
• BIOPLANET Biotechnology for Business Magazine [view]
  

The image corresponds to volumetric projections of the human habenulae, and represents sexually dimorphic differences in habenular asymmetry that seem to exist in man and women. To view full size image click on the image above.

LEO members also obtained prizes for the Best Scientific Image in the Cell Biology Society Meetings of 2007 and 2006:

2007: The image corresponds to a 3D projection of the gastrula embryo in the annual fish Austrolebias bellottii, and represents the process of cell aggregation leading to embryo formation in this species. 2006: The image corresponds to 3D projections of the pineal complex in transgenic zebrafish, and represents the cellular analysis of morpho-topology during the development of left-right asymmety in the parapineal organ.