Diana Pinheiro
Embryogenesis is the process by which pattern and form emerge. This requires cells to adopt increasingly distinct fates, but also a complex repertoire of mechanical behaviours (e.g. rearrangements, motility) needed to shape tissues. A handful of conserved signals, many of which proposed to act as morphogens (secreted molecules that trigger cell responses at a distance from the source) play key roles in embryo patterning and morphogenesis. We are interested in the mechanisms by which morphogens encode such a diversity of biological responses, in particular how they regulate, and cooperate, with tissue mechanics to trigger embryo self-organization.