Studies in the nematode C. elegans have been at the forefront of many fundamental discoveries in biology and pioneering work from many labs on the genetic regulation of lifespan in worms has been instrumental in demonstrating that aging is a tractable process that can be targeted therapeutically. My research program uses a combination of genetic, chemical and biochemical approaches to discover novel signaling pathways in C. elegans that impact development and aging. A previous example of this is the identification of a novel endocannabinoid signaling pathway in C. elegans. Current work in the lab is focused on the characterization of a novel decoy insulin receptor in C. elegans that arises via alternative splicing. We are now focusing on the splicing mechanisms that give rise to this novel isoform, as well as translational studies to investigate mammalian truncated insulin receptors. This work has the potential to uncover a new molecular mechanism by which insulin resistance arises.

• Martinez BA, Reis Rodrigues P, Nunez Medina RM, Mondal P, Harrison N, Lone MA, Webster A, Gurkar AU, Grill B, Gill MS. An alternatively spliced, non-signaling insulin receptor modulates insulin sensitivity via insulin peptide sequestration in C. elegans. eLife 2020;9:e49917 DOI: 10.7554/eLife.49917
• Wang D, Stoveken HM, Zucca S, Dao M, Orlandi C, Song C, Masuho I, Johnston C, Opperman KJ, Giles AC, Gill MS, Lundquist EA, Grill B, Martemyanov KA. (2019). Genetic behavioral screen identifies an orphan anti-opioid system. Science 365, 1267-1273.
• Gurkar AU, Robinson AR, Cui Y, Li X, Allani SK, Webster A, Muravia M, Fallahi M, Weissbach H, Robbins PD, Wang Y, Kelley EE, Croix CMS, Niedernhofer LJ, Gill MS. (2018) Dysregulation of DAF-16/FOXO3A-mediated stress responses accelerates oxidative DNA damage induced aging. Redox Biol. 18:191-199.
• Lucanic M, Garrett T, Yu I, Calahorro F, Asadi Shahmirzadi A, Miller A, Gill MS, Hughes RE, Holden-Dye L, Lithgow GJ (2016). “Chemical activation of a food deprivation signal extends lifespan.” Aging Cell 15(5):832-41.
• Reis Rodrigues P., T. K. Kaul, J. H. Ho, M. Lucanic, K. Burkewitz, W. B. Mair, J. M. Held, L. M. Bohn and M. S. Gill (2016). "Synthetic Ligands of Cannabinoid Receptors Affect Dauer Formation in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans." G3 (Bethesda) 6(6): 1695-1705.
• Lucanic M, Held J, Vantipalli M, Klang IM, Gibson BW, Lithgow GJ, Gill MS. N-acylethanolamine signalling mediates the effect of diet on lifespan in C. elegans. Nature 2011 473(7346):226-9.

• BSc, Biochemistry, Newcastle University, UK (1993)
• PhD, Pediatric Endocrinology, University of Manchester, UK (1997)
• Medical Research Council Training Fellow (1998-2001)
• Brookdale National Fellow (2002-2003)
• Post-doc, C. elegans, Buck Institute for Research on Aging