My primary research interest is in understanding the evolution of pattern formation mechanisms in early embryogenesis. I use molecular experimental embryology and comparative genomics approaches to explore the diversity of developmental mechanisms in non-model organisms. In recent years, I have been focusing on studying the evolution of neurogenesis and neural patterning by using the leech Helobdella.
With the research in Helobdella neural development, we hope to achieve a complete understanding of the leech nervous system. The medicinal leeches (Hirudo spp.) are a model system for characterizing simple neural circuits underlying simple behaviors. However, despite what we have learned about the leech neural circuits, we know very little of how they arise, since embryos of medicinal leeches are not accessible for experimental procedures. With the development of new techniques for molecular manipulation in Helobdella, it is now possible to fill in the gap in our understanding of the leech nervous system. In 2019, as a part of an international interdisciplinary team, we received a prestigous Human Frontier Science Program grant to develop molecular tools for studying the development and functioning of sensory-motor circuits in Helobdella.
People in my laboratory also study development, regeneration, anatomy, and behavioral biology of invertebrate species across several phyla. Please visit http://homepage.ntu.edu.tw/~dhkuo/ for more information.