Reddien Lab

Humans don't regrow body parts after an injury, but certain animals can and do. The planarian, a tiny, water-dwelling flatworm, is one such organism. This multipart video explainer follows the journey of a neoblast — a versatile cell in the planarian crucial for regeneration — and explores what regeneration research could mean for human health.

The lab of Whitehead Institute Member Peter Reddien describes how planarians use the Delta-Notch signaling pathway to adjust the spatial pattern and relative numbers of neurons and glia at a given location. This allows the organisms to restore large portions of their nervous system following injury.

In order for researchers to understand the biology of living organisms, they must consider what is happening across the size scale. Interactions between molecules drive interactions between cells that affect traits and behaviors. Experiences and decisions made by the organism can lead to changes at the cellular and molecular level. In order to understand the full picture, Whitehead Institute researchers study everything from molecules to cells to whole organisms.

Luiza is a postdoc in Whitehead Institute Member Peter Reddien’s lab developing a slug as a model species to study development and regeneration. We sat down with Luiza to learn more about her and her experiences in and out of the lab.

Axolotls (Ambystoma mexicanum) are a critically endangered species of salamander. They are also highly regenerative. The latest story in our Unusual Labmates series explores these fascinating creatures, what Whitehead Institute researchers are hoping to discover by studying them, and why they are worth preserving in the wild. Click here to view the full multimedia story.

Despite their distinct evolutionary histories, different species can sometimes arrive at similar solutions for survival. The work of various researchers at Whitehead Institute investigates this fascinating phenomenon, called convergent evolution, through the lens of shared mechanisms governing reproduction, development, and regeneration across a range of species.

First-of-its-kind study uses MERFISH to map the spatial pattern of how stem cells choose their fates during adult regeneration in flatworms.

The Pew Charitable Trusts has selected Whitehead Institute Member Siniša Hrvatin to be a 2023 Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, and the Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences has selected postdoctoral associate Luiza de Oliveira Saad to receive two years of funding to conduct research.