Our main focus is mechanotransduction — how mechanical forces are converted into electrical and molecular signals in sensory cells and specialized skin structures. We study this process across diverse vertebrates to reveal how touch systems evolve, function, and regenerate.
To link structure to function at high resolution, we combine patch-clamp electrophysiology, volume electron microscopy, molecular biology, transcriptomics, functional live imaging, and tissue-clearing 3D imaging techniques.
We study mechanosensory corpuscles at cellular and ultrastructural levels using high-resolution imaging with volume Electron Microscopy.
We study how tactile stimuli are detected, transformed, and transmitted by mechanosensory corpuscles and their associated sensory neurons across vertebrates.
We study how sensory endings, neurons, and skin architectures are arranged and integrated to support touch and mechanical pain.