Cells & Development

From January 2021 MoD will become “CELLS & DEVELOPMENT”, subtitle: “CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY AND THEIR QUANTITATIVE APPROCHES”. We expect that C&D will become a forum for interdisciplinary research combining biology, physics and mathematics to study cell and dev biology.

A very inspiring interview with our Editor-in-Chief Professor Roberto Mayor @mayorlab.bsky.social. His passion for teaching #devbio has reached well beyond Latin America too!

A very inspiring interview with our Editor-in-Chief Professor Roberto Mayor @mayorlab.bsky.social. His passion for teaching #devbio has reached well beyond Latin America too!

"We were not pretending to convert established scientists to developmental biology, we were thinking of the new generations." An inspiring interview with Professor Roberto Mayor on his effort to bring #devbio education to Latin America. 👏👏 www.sdbonline.org/resource?Res... @socdevbio.bsky.social

Mechano-metabolic control of multicellular morphogenesis Bodineau, Pourquié, @mongeralab.bsky.social & co discuss how research into mechano-metabolic feedback loops during multicellular morphogenesis has the potential to drive major advances in our understanding of #DevBio. doi.org/10.1242/dev....

A summary of the current state of the art on #SCBEM of #gastrulation emphasizing an important difference between #replicas (exact copies of the #embryo) and #models, simplified, minimal version of a reality e.g #gastruloids cshprotocols.cshlp.org/content/earl...

UCSF Department of Cell and Tissue Biology is hiring! 🚀 Cell Biology of Disease - Tenure-Track Faculty Position Apply by December 1, 2026 for full consideration. Cell, developmental, stem cell biologists studying the cellular basis of disease are encouraged to apply! aprecruit.ucsf.edu/JPF06272

To build complex tissues, cells need to produce energy to grow, generate forces and modulate mechanical properties. The role of metabolism and tissue mechanics in development is experiencing a renewed interest. Yet, we know very little about how these systems interact to drive morphogenesis...

Beyond the surface: expanding heparan sulfate’s role in FGF signalling This Research Highlight showcases work by Guilherme Oliveira Barbosa, Thomas Kornberg and colleagues. journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...

Metabolism is traditionally studied at the individual cell level, yet its role during development is very much under-appreciated. @mongeralab.bsky.social, @matyasbl.bsky.social and Olivier Pourquié lab discuss this interesting interplay between metabolism and morphogenesis: doi.org/10.1242/dev....

🔔 Registration is open for the 26th Biennial Conference of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience (#ISDN2027) 🔔

Our latest featured image shows a duckweed colony with regions with actively dividing cell labelled in green. You can discover more about the image and Emily Chan’s research in our post: focalplane.biologists.com/2026/10/23/f... #plantbiology #duckweed #microscopy #confocal

You've probably heard of Twist1, but what about Twist2 and Twist3? Tressa Jacob and colleagues showed that these two genes are expressed during scale development. Messing up Twist2 affects scale morphology and organisation. How interesting? Check it out👇👇 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

A new paper from the Gareth I. Owen lab describes a robust in vitro framework for vasculogenic mimicry - the ability to form vascular-like structure by non-endothelial cells. Many cancer lines can form VM, and lumen formation defines bona fide VM. @cellpress.bsky.social www.cell.com/cell-reports...

You've probably heard of Twist1, but what about Twist2 and Twist3? Tressa Jacob and colleagues showed that these two genes are expressed during scale development. Messing up Twist2 affects scale morphology and organisation. How interesting? Check it out👇👇 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

An interview with Neil Vargesson @ingridtsang.bsky.social speaks with @nvargesson.bsky.social about what the BSDB Wolpert Medal means to him as Lewis Wolpert's last PhD student, his ethos and advice for #sciencecommunication, and his outlook on the future of drug safety. doi.org/10.1242/dev....

In preprints – emerging role of circadian rhythms in refractive development and early-life immune regulation @singhlab.bsky.social & co discuss 2 #preprints by Palumaa & co and Scheiermann & co showing that #circadianrhythms do more than just regulate mature physiology. doi.org/10.1242/dev....

A new paper by @yuritakahashi.bsky.social from @bensteventon.bsky.social lab @geneticscam.bsky.social describes a feedback loop 🔁 between EMT initiation and SNAI2-induced SMAD1 signalling in 🐤 explants. Migration -> ⬆️SMAD1 -> ⬆️BMP signalling -> ⬆️migration. #devbio link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Calling all #ECRs: If you have a new paper/preprint in #devbio, #compbio, #cellbio, #mechanobiology, let us know. We want to help promote your work to a wider community, and facilitate new collaboration and networking opportunities. If you want to promote a workshop/conference, let us know too! 🤩

In preprints – pushing the limits of morphogen scaling in #limbregeneration @jcornwallscoones.bsky.social discusses a recent preprint by Tardivo, Tanaka & co that shows how #morphogenscaling coordinates growth & patterning to determine the form of a regenerated limb. doi.org/10.1242/dev....

Intrinsic3D, a new imaging approach that allows researchers to image entire cells + tissues in 3D at single-molecule resolution, making large-volume super-resolution imaging faster & easier. @kanishka03.bsky.social covers work #StJohnstonLab - #preLight ⬇️ prelights.biologists.com/highlights/f...

Register for a free scientific storytelling workshop @the-node.bsky.social, @prelights.bsky.social & @focalplane.bsky.social are excited to announce our free half-day workshop on scientific storytelling! Join us on 10 November 2026 from 13:00-17:00 GMT. #ScienceStorytelling #ECR #Scicomm

Call for papers - Plant and Algae Development Edited by @stanfordstomata.bsky.social and Susana Coelho, we welcome submissions studying the interface between development and the environment. Deadline: 2 November 2026. tinyurl.com/ykvs896x

Proud of our institute, its staff and scientific discoveries in the last 25 years. Excited about the next 25 years 🤩

A bystander response to injury in planarian regeneration This Research Highlight showcases work by Cecilia Pellegrini and Peter Reddien. journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...

A new study from the @squeezycellslab.bsky.social lab shows that the same cell population can experience completely different physical challenges within an embryo. Unlike the cranial counterpart, the trunk NCCs adapt as their nuclei are deformed during migration 👏 #ECR www.nature.com/articles/s41...

An interesting and important study from the Montecino lab analysing the transcriptional differences between Schizophrenic iPSC neurons versus healthy control showing neuronal enrichment in SZ-cultures and astrocyte enrichment in CT. Check it out: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #mentalhealth

An aptly titled paper shows, for the first time, the significance of heterogeneities of gene expression in the construction of complex systems : fate decisions are group decisions. Previously @biorxivpreprint cell.com/cell/fulltex... #MustRead #Gastruloids @Jshendure lab

Our featured image this week was acquired by Shang-Wu Shih. It shows ionocytes (red) distributed along the gill filaments of marine medaka. Check it out to learn more about the image and Shang-Wu’s research: focalplane.biologists.com/2026/10/09/f...

#Macrophages are mechanosensitive cells. They respond to mechanical signalling from the surrounding tissue, such as during fibrosis. In this review, the authors discuss the significance of the macrophage-fibroblast communication in a profibrotic niche. #immune 👇 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#Macrophages are mechanosensitive cells. They respond to mechanical signalling from the surrounding tissue, such as during fibrosis. In this review, the authors discuss the significance of the macrophage-fibroblast communication in a profibrotic niche. #immune 👇 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Happy #FluorescenceFriday. This video shows a group of neural crest cells (🟣) remodelling a mesh of fibronectin matrix (🔵). This is part of a biorxiv paper showing the reciprocal relationship between NC and neural tube morphogenesis. 📹: Kai Weißenbruch, UCL 👇👇👇 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Woah, such an invaluable resource! You can use this for your lectures too and can make a good resource for students! 🙌

❤️ that the #NobelPrize brought the spotlight to #optogenetics. We use the same technique to study how cells move during development, like in this beautiful study by the Solnica-Krezel lab where they show mesoderm can influence endoderm convergent extension in 🐟! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

#optogenetics is getting attention!! Welcome aboard the Opto-train 🚄🚂

❤️ that the #NobelPrize brought the spotlight to #optogenetics. We use the same technique to study how cells move during development, like in this beautiful study by the Solnica-Krezel lab where they show mesoderm can influence endoderm convergent extension in 🐟! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Are #cilia still hot or ... 👀? Maybe it's time to learn how they are formed! This review by the Pereira lab discusses the structural composition of the distal appendages, how they form the cilia, and how they are regulated in cell cycle and in diseases! www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Looking for a PhD? @crick.ac.uk PhD applications for next year are open. 4 year program with lots of outstanding projects on offer. If you are interested in viral host interactions, cytoskeleton, cell bio, live cell imaging - see Way lab project + video. plz repost www.crick.ac.uk/careers-and-...

Having seen the news: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... thought I'd share a cilia movie captured at UCL GOS ICH with Eriomina Shahaj & Vanesa Papastavrou using simple DIC on a Nikon Ti2 with DIC at 60x1.4. 500 fps here slowed down 20 times. Processed with Nikon's denoiseAI and an unsharp mask in Fiji.

🧬 New research in Nature Cell Biology reveals how tissue flow helps guide immune cell migration and polarity. Congrats to Hoang Anh Le, Jonas Hartmann, Ricard Alert and collaborators! 👏🔬 #CellBiology #Immunology 🔗 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

If you're looking for a fun weekend read, I recommend @katiepickup.bsky.social's interview with the brilliant @nmoris.bsky.social in @dev-journal.bsky.social doi.org/10.1242/dev....

Call for papers - Plant and Algae Development We are welcoming submissions for our 2027 special issue on plant and algae development, edited by @stanfordstomata.bsky.social and Susana Coelho. Submit your manuscript by 2 November 2026. journals.biologists.com/dev/pages/pl...

Application review for the GRC in Microbial Population Biology will start October 15th! Please apply before then if you are keen on coming. www.grc.org/microbial-po...

Do you think AI will ever make a discovery worth of a Nobel Prize? go.nature.com/3VPoT6Z

Where is biotechnology heading? A new report explores ERC frontier research in biotechnology and asks researchers what could shape the field by 2030 - from CRISPR-Cas to AI-enabled life-science research. 🔗 link.europa.eu/BxhjD4 #EUBiotech @scienceinnovation.ec.europa.eu

In preprints – is birth driving cortical maturation? @mveronicapravata.bsky.social discusses a preprint by @sroig.bsky.social & co, which raises the possibility that cortical developmental programs may be broadly conserved across species, rather than strictly dependent on the timing of birth.

Current Affairs: Tissue flow creates mechanical cues to coordinate immune-cell migration during development 📹 Hoang Anh Le et al @mayorlab.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk @natcellbio.nature.com ➡️ bpod.org.uk/archive/2026... with @antdlewis.bsky.social

I'm excited to share our new preprint: Generation of a transgenic cephalopod tinyurl.com/pc86jxz8 Cephalopods (cuttlefish, octopus & squid) are crazy critters that dynamically camouflage to their surroundings by changing the color, pattern, & texture of their skin, which they control w their brain.

While we’ve heard that watching cell blebs (like watching larva lamps) can be relaxing, we think that @ankita13jha.bsky.social’s talk from our #CellMigration webinar will leave you feeling excited about #science & running to your #microscope! Full video @ focalplane.biologists.com/2026/09/25/f...

Fusion of E14 chicken parabronchi! Green staining with DSHB 7D6 for L-CAM/E-cadherin stains the lung epithelium. Magenta stains for smooth muscle actin that constricts the developing parabronchi. This was imaged on a confocal microscope and is an MIP. #ShowYourWork #SeenWithDSHB #Figure1

I've been working on a fast, high-ratio image compressor to try and alleviate the data storage issues myself and some of my colleagues have recently been facing. Before I 'release' version 1, it'd be great to gain some feedback regarding performance and missing features. github.com/jdmanton/rad...