Ulrich Technau

In his project "EVONeuroMuscle", Ulrich Technau will address the question of the evolutionary origin of neuro-muscular systems in animals. He and his team will employ modern single cell genomics technologies as well as genome editing methods to Cnidaria like sea anemones or jellyfish. These methods allow them to identify the molecular profile of individual neurons and muscles, which serves for comparison with those in other animals. The expected complexity of the data and the topology of the systems within each organism will be simulated by mathematical and biophysical models. The expected findings of the neuromuscular systems may have implications for neuro-muscular degenerative diseases.