Abreu RNAlab @ Edinburgh

History of the RNAlab

Hello, I am Cei Abreu-Goodger, group leader of the RNAlab at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution. I started my group in 2010 at the National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (Langebio-Cinvestav) in Irapuato, Mexico. At the start of 2021 I moved to the University of Edinburgh to take up a position as Reader in Bioinformatics.

Our research

Most of our research is focused on small RNAs, and more recently on RNA-mediated communication between organisms. We have developed methods for discovering which small RNAs are produced by different genomes, by analysing mixtures of interacting organisms. In collaboration with Amy Buck, we recently discovered that the dominant mobile small RNAs in a parasitic nematode called Heligmosomoides bakeri are derived from transposable elements. We are currently exploring the evolution of transposable elements in Strongylida parasitic nematodes, as well as their relationship with genome size and production of small RNAs.