Why animals evolved on the Earth remains poorly understood. As does what drove unicellular ancestors to become multicellular and how only plants and animals managed to become so complex and diverse.
The rise of animals about half a billion years ago is presumed to associate with an increase of atmospheric oxygen. However there is currently no geological evidence that conclusively supports this hypothesis. In contrast, through the study of tissues from multicellular organisms, quite the opposite is becoming clear. Oxic conditions may indeed serve as an evolutionary impediment for stem cell-based tissue formation and renewal, with oxygen driving cells to differentiate.
Dr. Hammarlund and her team want to understand the molecular evolution behind stemness control and multicellularity, through the application of multidisciplinary methods and insights from the natural and medical sciences. A major focus of The Hammarlund group is to investigate to what extent animal evolution and development are shaped by mechanisms harnessing hypoxia – in niches or phases, or through cellular mechanisms such as the hypoxia inducible factors (HIF).
The impact of their research ranges from informing us on the likelihood of complex life forming elsewhere in the universe to understanding what controls stemness in different tissues. With their novel approach the Hammarlund group are also asking new questions as to when stemness control ceases and tissue formation fails, such as during aging and cancer.
Lund Stem Cell Center welcomes Emma and her research group!
Useful links:
Find out more about the Hammarlund research group
(at the Translational Cancer Research)
More information about Emma Hammarlund in Lund University Research Portal