University of Pennsylvania · BiologyThe Memory Weave Lab
Roberto Bonasio · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Research Focus
Dr. Roberto Bonasio's lab at the University of Pennsylvania studies how memories can be encoded in organisms beyond the nervous system, using planarians, a type of flatworm capable of regenerating their brains. The lab investigates the molecular mechanisms behind memory retention and transmission through both neural and non-neural pathways. Their work aims to enhance our understanding of memory formation and inheritance, with potential insights applicable to more complex brains, including human brains.
planarian regenerationtransgenerational memoryepigeneticsRNAneuroscienceassociative learning
Research Aims
5AIM 01Utilize planarians to investigate the mechanisms of transgenerational memory storage.
AIM 02Characterize the role of noncoding RNAs in memory retention and transmission.
AIM 03Establish behavioral paradigms to study associative learning in planarians.
AIM 04Identify molecular pathways regulating memory encoding and recall in non-neural systems.
AIM 05Explore the implications of findings for understanding neuroepigenetics in complex organisms.
Skills the Lab Values
molecular cloningRNA sequencingbehavioral trackinggenomic analysisanimal training techniquesmolecular geneticsdata analysisexperimental design
Output against the department
Publications109bottom 38% of dept.639th of 1,033
this lab
most publishedleast published
Citations15ktop 26% of dept.267th of 1,033
this lab
most citedleast cited
Career totals from OpenAlex, compared against labs that share a department. A department spans everything from one paper to tens of thousands, so bar heights are on a log scale — otherwise the largest lab would flatten every other bar to a line.