The Croatian fishermen traditionally caught gilt-head bream with a line, and their main bait was the giant bristle worm, Eunice roussaei. It is the largest “worm” in the Mediterranean Sea, used as bait for recreational fishing. Not much is known about its life cycle and fascinating regenerative properties. In collaboration with Pharos Institute and town of Stari Grad on the Island of Hvar, Croatia, we study the morphological regenerative capacity and tissue remodeling using high resolution microscopy. We use DNA and RNA sequencing to assemble worm’s genome and measure gene activity to identify molecular regenerative mechanism.

*For more about this project, contact goran@bozinstitute.org