The molecular phylogenetic group is part of the Department of Life and Environmental Sciences at Polytechnic University of Marche.
The main research activities are:
- study of the evolutionary relationships in different taxa of organisms using molecular phylogenetics;
- molecular and cytogenetic characterization of repetitive DNA, evaluation of the activity of transposable elements and their influence on genomic and chromosomal plasticity;
- identification of Hox and ParaHox genes and correlations of the evolution of these genes with the body plan development along the antero-posterior axis in metazoans;
- evolutionary studies of gene families using NGS techniques in basal sarcopterygians, in particular the coelacanth Latimeria menadoensis and the lungfish Protopterus annectens.