< Back to previous page

Project

BOF Sabbatical 2021-2022 - Gudrun De Boeck.

My sabbatical will focus on elasmobranch research. Firstly, I want to resolve the mystery around the mechanistic basis leading to the unusually high toxicity and bioaccumulation of silver (Ag) that has been observed in elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) and conduct a survey on baseline Ag bioaccumulation over different life stages and species. Doing so will also shed more light on the existence and involvement of putative urea back-transporters, and their characteristics and location in epithelial gill cells of elasmobranchs. Secondly, I want to explore and familiarise myself with minimally-invasive and in vitro techniques that will not only become a powerful tool in my present and future research but also fit within the general effort to improve animal welfare according to the 3R principle (replacement, reduction, refinement). These techniques are not limited to their use in elasmobranch research, but can be extended to teleosts and other aquatic organisms. And lastly, conduct some preliminary experiments and explore new collaborations for a future research line which will be developed in the next years on chronic stress indicators in elasmobranchs.
Date:1 Aug 2021 →  31 Jul 2022
Keywords:ELASMOBRANCH, STRESS PHYSIOLOGY, POLLUTION
Disciplines:Animal morphology, anatomy and physiology, Aquatic sciences, challenges and pollution not elsewhere classified