Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida

08/31/2026

We were thrilled to welcome Dr. Veronica Hinman and Patrick Thompson from Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience, University of Florida for a familiarization tour of The Hub and Sid Martin Biotech. 🌊

The visit gave us a chance to share more about UF Innovate Accelerate's facilities, programs, and entrepreneurial ecosystem while learning more about the groundbreaking work happening at Whitney Laboratory.

This team is doing remarkable work at the intersection of marine bioscience, discovery, and translational research, and we're grateful for the chance to connect and learn from one another. Thanks for visiting!

08/27/2026

Dr. Elaine Seaver Delivers Keynote on Annelid EvoDevo at 15th International Polychaete Conference

Over the summer, Dr. Elaine Seaver, professor of biology at the Whitney Laboratory, delivered an invited keynote presentation at the 15th International Polychaete Conference at the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany.

Dr. Seaver was invited to launch a new session focused on Evolution and Development (EvoDevo), an interdisciplinary field examining the connections between evolutionary processes and developmental biology. Her keynote, titled “Evo Devo in annelids: two tales from Capitella teleta,” highlighted her research on regeneration and development in annelids.

Held every three years, the International Polychaete Conference brings together researchers from around the world who study polychaete worms and related areas of annelid biology. The 2026 conference attracted approximately 200 participants representing 32 countries.

https://internationalcenter.ufl.edu/news/2026/08/dr-elaine-seaver-delivers-keynote-on-annelid/ UF International Center - UFIC

08/25/2026

Whitney Lab Marine Model Organism: Bat Star

Found along the Pacific coast, the bat star (Patiria miniata) is a species of sea star that comes in a variety of colors and has a remarkable regenerative ability, capable of rebuilding entire arms and complex tissues.

Using this model organism, the Hinman Lab studies on sea star regeneration and development uncover the cellular and genetic steps that lead to complete restoration of form and function. Understanding these processes could eventually inform regenerative medicine in humans.

Learn more about research in the Hinman Lab:
https://www.whitney.ufl.edu/people/current-research-faculty/veronica-hinman-phd/

08/20/2026

In the News - Whitney Lab, The Sea Turtle Hospital at UF Whitney Lab, and Sea Turtle Hospital Program Manager Cat Eastman in Flagler College Gargoyle Article - Summertime brings increased hazards for sea turtles in Florida
https://gargoyle.flagler.edu/summertime-brings-increased-hazards-for-sea-turtles-in-florida/

🐢📷: The Sea Turtle Hospital at UF Whitney Lab

Sea turtles nesting on St. Augustine beaches and traveling in local waterways must overcome adversities, many of which are brought on by human action. Sea turtles must navigate increased boat traffic and recreational fishing, microplastics and FP disease as they try to lay eggs on a diminishing coastline.

Writer: Wylie Saviello Wylie Saviello
Read the full story on our website.

08/18/2026

Ph.D. Defense Success for Lucas Guttieres! 🎉🐊

Lucas Guttieres, a graduate student in the Department of Biology and supervised by Mark Q. Martindale, successfully defended his PhD dissertation on July 15, 2026, and walked in the University of Florida doctoral graduation ceremony on August 7.

Dr. Guttieres was interested in the emergence of multicellularity that required the evolution of new mechanisms mediating cell adhesion, communication, and coordination. Among the proposed molecular candidates that may have contributed to the transition from unicellularity to multicellularity, the protein β-catenin is of particular interest because of its dual role as a structural component of the cadherin-catenin complex (CCC) and as a transcriptional co-regulator in the canonical Wnt (cWnt) signaling pathway.

Although these functions are well-characterized in bilaterian animals, their evolutionary origins remain poorly understood. Early-diverging animal lineages provide a valuable framework for investigating the ancestral functions of β-catenin and the emergence of its interaction networks. In his thesis, Dr. Guttieres focused on the evolutionary history of β-catenin interaction networks in the ctenophore species Mnemiopsis leidyi with a particular focus on its adhesive and nuclear functions.

https://www.whitney.ufl.edu/news--events/news/whitney-articles/2026/phd-defense-lucas-guttieres.html

08/14/2026

Congratulations Whitney Laboratory Professor of Chemistry Dr. Sandra Loesgen!

https://cancer.ufl.edu/2026/08/11/researchers-receive-florida-cancer-innovation-fund-grants/

Congratulations to five teams of UF Health Cancer Institute researchers who have received Florida Cancer Innovation Fund grants for innovative cancer research projects!

The new projects aim to improve monitoring of prostate cancer; uncover promising new treatments for hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer; harness the power of natural products for new cancer treatments; test whether kava reduces tobacco-associated lung cancer risk; and support a mobile health intervention to reduce fatigue in cancer survivors.

Learn more about the research projects: https://go.ufl.edu/5p88n30

08/13/2026

Congratulations to former Seaver Lab graduate student Lauren Kunselman who published a paper in Developmental Biology from her dissertation work at the Whitney Laboratory. In addition, Kunselman's study image was selected as the Developmental Biology journal, Volume 538 cover image.

To investigate regulation of regeneration, the Seaver Lab studies a segmented worm called Capitella teleta. Their most recently published findings are in a paper entitled “Axial differences in cellular regeneration responses in the annelid Capitella teleta”.

This research is an important step in understanding how to increase or kickstart regenerative abilities in body regions that show limited capacity to replace missing parts. The Seaver Lab is excited to continue exploring how regeneration is regulated in this marine worm, so that one day we may be able to apply the key principles to help humans regenerate.

Full Paper - https://www.whitney.ufl.edu/news--events/news/whitney-articles/2026/seaver-paper.html

📷: The image depicts regenerating tissue at the amputation site of a C. teleta tail fragment treated with Wnt/beta-catenin inhibitor for one week.

08/11/2026

Save the Date! Home School Open House Wednesday, November 4 - Registration Opens September 8 at the link below.

https://www.whitney.ufl.edu/education/k-12-school-programs/

08/04/2026

New Whitney Laboratory and Sea Turtle Hospital shirts are in! The Gift Shop and Discovery Lobby in the Whitney Marine Research Center is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Proceeds from the gift shop benefit the Whitney Lab, The Sea Turtle Hospital at UF Whitney Lab, and Whitney Graduate Student Association.

https://www.whitney.ufl.edu/news--events/discovery-lobby-and-gift-shop/

07/30/2026

📢 New Adult Day Program! Whitney Adult Immersive Bioscience Camp -
Registration Opens Monday, August 3 at 9 a.m.

Work alongside Whitney scientists and students in this immersive, hands-on four-week course on topics that include aquaculture and fisheries, development and regeneration, eDNA and sea turtle research, and the human health connection.

Dates: Wednesdays, September 9, 16, 23, and 30.
Registration includes all 4 dates. Individual class registration is not available.
Time: 9:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Program limited to 10 participants
Ages: 18+
Cost: $250.00
Course includes a Whitney Lab T-shirt and class preparation materials
Contact [email protected] with questions.

https://www.whitney.ufl.edu/education/adult-day-at-whitney-lab/