Andrew Gillis, PhD

The Gillis lab is an interdisciplinary team of embryologists, physiologists and engineers, with a shared aspiration to understand the development and evolution of the vertebrate body plan. We work extensively with embryos of cartilaginous fishes (sharks, skates and holocephalans), though our work is very comparative, and incorporates a wide range of emerging and established developmental model systems. Current research foci in the Gillis lab include: 1) Development, growth and repair of vertebrate cartilage; 2) Evolution of neuroendocrine cell type diversity; and 3) Development and evolution of venom glands.

Dalhousie University
Halifax, NS, Canada
NSERC Postdoctoral Fellowship - Developmental Biology
2014

University of Cambridge
Cambridge, UK
Royal Society Newton Postdoctoral Fellowship - Developmental Biology
2011

University of Chicago
Chicago, IL, USA
PhD - Developmental Biology
2009

University of Bristol
Bristol, UK
MSc - Paleobiology
2005

Dalhousie University
Halifax, NS, Canada
BSc (Hons) - Biology
2004

A pre-vertebrate endodermal origin of calcitonin-producing neuroendocrine cells.
A pre-vertebrate endodermal origin of calcitonin-producing neuroendocrine cells. Development. 2024 Oct 15; 151(20).
PMID: 39109637

The origins of gas exchange and ion regulation in fish gills: evidence from structure and function.
The origins of gas exchange and ion regulation in fish gills: evidence from structure and function. J Comp Physiol B. 2024 Oct; 194(5):557-568.
PMID: 38530435

Fgf signalling is required for gill slit formation in the skate, Leucoraja erinacea.
Fgf signalling is required for gill slit formation in the skate, Leucoraja erinacea. Dev Biol. 2024 Feb; 506:85-94.
PMID: 38040078

Scales, scutes, and embryonic origins of the vertebrate dermal skeleton.
Scales, scutes, and embryonic origins of the vertebrate dermal skeleton. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2023 08 15; 120(33):e2310552120.
PMID: 37531377

Ectodermal Wnt signaling, cell fate determination, and polarity of the skate gill arch skeleton.
Ectodermal Wnt signaling, cell fate determination, and polarity of the skate gill arch skeleton. Elife. 2023 03 20; 12.
PMID: 36940244

Ion regulation at gills precedes gas exchange and the origin of vertebrates.
Ion regulation at gills precedes gas exchange and the origin of vertebrates. Nature. 2022 10; 610(7933):699-703.
PMID: 36261526

The pseudobranch of jawed vertebrates is a mandibular arch-derived gill.
The pseudobranch of jawed vertebrates is a mandibular arch-derived gill. Development. 2022 07 01; 149(13).
PMID: 35762641

Gill developmental program in the teleost mandibular arch.
Gill developmental program in the teleost mandibular arch. Elife. 2022 06 28; 11.
PMID: 35762575

Distinct proliferative and middle ear skeletal-patterning functions for SHH-expressing epithelia in the chick hyoid arch.
Distinct proliferative and middle ear skeletal-patterning functions for SHH-expressing epithelia in the chick hyoid arch. Dev Biol. 2022 09; 489:98-108.
PMID: 35714752

Big insight from the little skate: Leucoraja erinacea as a developmental model system.
Big insight from the little skate: Leucoraja erinacea as a developmental model system. Curr Top Dev Biol. 2022; 147:595-630.
PMID: 35337464

View All Publications