Biography

After my degree in Biology and a MRes at the University of Barcelona, I completed my PhD with Dr Elisa Marti at the Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona. There, I uncovered how Sonic Hedgehog coordinates the patterning, growth and differentiation of neural precursors in the vertebrate neural tube.

I then moved to the UK, for my first postdoc with Dr Elke Ober at the MRC National Institute for Medical Research (London). There, I started my work on the Eph/Ephrin signalling pathway. My findings revealed that  Eph/Ephrin signalling between liver precursors and the adjacent mesoderm is key for the asymmetric placement of the liver and for the correct formation of the ducts connecting the liver and the pancreas to the gut.

In 2013, I moved to Dr David Wilkinson laboratory (The Francis Crick Institute, London) where I discovered that the Eph receptor coordinates the formation of sharp borders with the acquisition of cell identities by regulating the mechanical properties of cells and activating the transcription cofactors Yap/Taz.

I joined the University of Portsmouth in 2023 as a Group Leader and Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences. I am currently investigating how Eph/Ephrin signalling is involved in different aspects of neural development, tissue regeneration and neurodegeneration.

Alongside research, I contributed as a Teaching Assistant at the prestigious “Embryology: Concepts & Techniques in Modern Developmental Biology” course at the Marine Biology Laboratories (Woods Hole, University of Chicago, US).

Research interests

Our research aims to uncover the cellular and molecular mechanisms controlling:

- Neural tube development.

- Neural regeneration.

- Neurodegenerative diseases and genetic conditions affecting brain development.

For this, we use primarily zebrafish models, together with a range of experimental techniques including: CRISPR genome editing, live imaging, image analysis, cell transplantation, transcriptomics, proteomics and behavioural analysis.

PhD and MRes opportunities

We are currently accepting applications from MRes and self-funded PhDs. Please email your expression of interest to jordi.cayuso@port.ac.uk.

Further information on current projects can be found here: https://www.port.ac.uk/study/courses/postgraduate-research/pgr-pharmacy-pharmacology-and-biomedical-sciences