Establishing the Sea Cucumber as an Emerging Model | Society for Developmental Biology

Margherita Perillo, a research scientist at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), was awarded the 2024 Society for Developmental Biology Emerging Research Organism Grant for her work on establishing the sea cucumber (Holothuria tubulosa), as an emerging model for developmental biology research. The award recognizes Perillo’s pioneering work in developing methods to generate and culture larvae in the laboratory; work she has done in collaboration with her colleagues at the MBL and at the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn in Naples, Italy.

Sea cucumbers belong to the phylum Echinodermata, which includes starfish, sea urchins, and sea lilies. Despite appearances, echinoderms have a close evolutionary relationship with vertebrates, which makes them valuable tools for research. Read rest of the story here.

Source: Establishing the sea cucumber as an emerging model in developmental biology | Society for Developmental Biology