Developmental Mechanics: forcing cells into shape in health and disease

Description of the ISF workshop

Developmental biology has undergone a revolution over the last two decades, largely as a result of work in different model organisms that placed biophysical methods, quantitative imaging, and mathematical modeling approaches at the forefront of the study of tissue morphogenesis. In particular, the establishment of tools to measure and manipulate mechanical forces in living organisms has demonstrated that mechanical cues profoundly shape animal development, while their miss-regulation leads to congenital defects. In this workshop, we will discuss the latest results demonstrating the interplay between physical forces, cellular and molecular dynamics and tissue morphogenesis, both during normal development and in disease.