In our laboratory we study the design principles of morphogenesis.

Man-made objects are designed from the top down. So, if not discarded when broken, they can usually only be fixed by replacing the part that is at fault. By contrast, the beautiful forms we see in nature arise from an evolved process of self-organisation, as the genetic information in a single fertilized egg is used to guide development and homeostasis. During both processes, the elaboration of form occurs in a step by step fashion and is remarkably robust to damage and to changes in the environment, with individual cells playing the roles of the nuts and bolts, the assembly line and the mechanics. We are interested in the way information processing and physical processes combine to drive morphogenesis, and in studying how this system of control breaks down in disease states such as cancer. We study these processes in fly and human cells, in flies and in human cancer using a range of experimental and theoretical techniques.

Responsible for: Organiser of the ABC MRes course, organiser of the seminar series and member of the PhD management committee

Homepage: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/lmcb/research-groups/Buzz.htm

E-mail:  b.baum@ucl.ac.uk
tel:       +44 (0)20 7679 3040