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Combining biophysical and molecular approaches to study embryonic development.

Established by Prof. Nandan Nerurkar in 2018, The Morphogenesis and Developmental Biomechanics Lab (MDBL) aims to understand how embryos build their organs during development. Embryogenesis is a process of profound physical transformation coupled with complex cell fate decisions, as a single cell goes on to generate an entire organism. Understanding this process is central to identifying the underlying causes of heinous birth defects, and for generating a blueprint for regenerative strategies that aim to engineer healthy tissues in a lab. We employ a cross disciplinary approach combining molecular and cell biology, embryology, and live in vivo imaging with experimental biomechanics and mathematical modeling to understand 1) what are the biological controls on mechanics that shape organs and 2) how do forces instruct cell behaviors to drive development?