Ruggiero Lab

Our team is interested in how the extracellular matrix forms functional protein networks, what are the key components and how they interact with cells, how these interactions impact on the function of an organ/tissue during development and regeneration/repair. Using zebrafish as a model organism, we aim at establishing a causal relationship between collagens, the most abundant protein in organisms, and signaling events that govern tissue formation and repair and to examine their possible disruption in collagen-related diseases, using functional genomics, microscopies, live imaging and integrative biology approaches.