Dr. Andres Vidal-Gadea

Research Interests & Areas

My lab uses the nematode C. elegans and the marbled crayfish to study the molecular and neural underpinnings of behavior. We harness these insights to the study of neural and muscular pathologies. Our approach is integrative and combines forward and reverse genetics, immunohistochemistry, calcium imaging, optogenetics, and in-depth behavioral analysis. We currently focus on three topics: magnetic field detection and orientation, the etiology and prevention of degeneration during Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and the adaptation of molecular techniques to the study of neuroscience in crustaceans.

Magnetic field detection and orientation:
Many organisms detect and use the magnetic field of the earth to navigate their environment. While much progress has been made in this exciting field, no magneto transduction mechanism has been identified in any animal. After demonstrating that nematodes can detect and orient to magnetic fields, our lab identified the first set of neurons capable of detecting this invisible force field. Our lab presently works to: 1) characterize the magnetic orientation behavior of C. elegans; 2) identify the molecular transduction mechanism allowing worms to detect magnetic fields; 3) determine how the magnetosensory neurons encode magnetic information; 4) evaluate the effects of non-terrestrial magnetic fields on animal viability.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy:
Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a lethal disease affecting 1 in 3500 males caused by deleterious mutations in DYS1, a giant gene encoding the dystrophin protein. Progress in this field is hindered by lack of animal models faithfully recreating the disease beyond the genetic lesion (e.g. muscular degeneration, loss of ambulation). We devised the first assay able to fully recapitulate the progression of the disease in animals. We then conducted a genetic screen and isolated mutants able to overcome the effects of the disease. My students now work to identify these mutations hoping to bring relief to those suffering with this disease. We are also using this and similar assays to evaluate different types of exercise that might prove protective for dystrophic musculature.

Adaptation of molecular techniques to the study of neuroscience in crustaceans:
For well over a century, crustaceans have proven immensely useful in neuroscience research. Key has been their unmatched ability to withstand a multitude of synchronous neuronal investigations. In recent years advances in molecular and genetic techniques allowed many model organisms to jump to the forefront of research, however crustaceans have remained somewhat insulated from this revolution due in part to their complex life histories. Our lab is presently collaborating with the Stein lab at ISU, and the Lyco lab in Germany to bring crustaceans into the age of modern genetics. We are using the marbled crayfish, a parthenogenetic species that easily breeds in the lab to adapt current molecular and genetic techniques to the study of neuroscience and behavior in crustaceans.