Michael Richardson is a British citizen who carries out research in developmental biology. He was appointed in 2000 to the van der Leeuw chair of evolutionary developmental biology at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. His active research focus is: fundamental developmental biology (the evolutionary developmental biology of vertebrates, mainly reptiles and fish); and applied developmental biology (zebrafish embryos as models for compound screening). These two areas synergise in his future plans to use zebrafish embryos as screening models to study the evolutionary developmental biology of the snake venom delivery system.

More information about Michael Richardson

Michael Richardson is a British citizen who carries out research in developmental biology. He gained his bachelors degree in cell pathology at University College London (UCL) where he was also awarded his Ph.D. in developmental biology in 1990 with Lewis Wolpert. He then worked in the embryonic stem-cell lab of Maya Sieber-Blum lab in the USA, before returning to London to study hox gene function in recombinant limbs. After teaching developmental biology at St. George’s Hospital Medical School, London, he was appointed in 2000 to the van der Leeuw chair of evolutionary developmental biology at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. His active research focus is: fundamental developmental biology (the evolutionary developmental biology of vertebrates, mainly reptiles and fish); and applied developmental biology (zebrafish embryos as models for compound screening). These two areas synergise in his future plans to use zebrafish embryos as screening models to study the evolutionary developmental biology of the snake venom delivery system.

Evolution and development of reptiles: key publications

The king cobra genome reveals dynamic gene evolution and adaptation in the snake venom system. 
Freek J. Vonk, Nicholas R. Casewell, Christiaan V. Henkel, Alysha M. Heimberg, Hans J. Jansen, Ryan J. R. McCleary, Harald M. E. Kerkkamp, Rutger A. Vos, Isabel Guerreiro, Juan J. Calvete, Wolfgang Wüster, Anthony E. Woods, Jessica M. Logan, Robert A. Harrison, Todd A. Castoe, A. P. Jason de Koning, David D. Pollock, Mark Yandell, Diego Calderon, Camila Renjifo, Rachel B. Currier, David Salgado, Davinia Pla, Libia Sanz, Asad S. Hyder, José M. C. Ribeiro, Jan W. Arntzen, Guido E. E. J. M. van den Thillart, Marten Boetzer, Walter Pirovano, Ron P. Dirks, Herman P. Spaink, Denis Duboule, Edwina McGlinn, R. Manjunatha Kini, and Michael K. Richardson. 
PNAS December 17, 2013 110 (51) 20651-20656;
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1314702110

Digit loss in archosaur evolution and the interplay between selection and constraints. 
Merijn A.G. de Bakker  1, Donald A. Fowler, Kelly den Oude, Esther M. Dondorp, M. Carmen Garrido Navas, Jaroslaw O. Horbanczuk, Jean-Yves Sire, Danuta Szczerbińska, Michael K. Richardson. 
Nature 2013 Aug 22;500(7463):445-8. 
doi: 10.1038/nature12336. Epub 2013 Jul 7.

Evolutionary origin and development of snake fangs. 
Freek J. Vonk 1, Jeroen F. Admiraal, Kate Jackson, Ram Reshef, Merijn A.G. de Bakker, Kim Vanderschoot, Iris van den Berge, Marit van Atten, Erik Burgerhout, Andrew Beck, Peter J. Mirtschin, Elazar Kochva, Frans Witte, Bryan G. Fry, Anthony E. Woods, Michael K. Richardson. 
Nature. 2008 Jul 31;454(7204):630-3. 
doi: 10.1038/nature07178.

Publications