Lunch Hour Lecture: The forces that shape us: How do embryos build their spinal cord?

Mammalian embryos undergo origami-like folding to sculpt their rudimentary tissues into organs. Hundreds of genes are known to be required for normal embryo development, but how these genes cooperate to cause physical changes in embryo shape remains largely unknown. We apply engineering-inspired techniques to study how embryonic cells generate mechanical forces necessary to fold their tissues into the tube-like precursor of our brain & spinal cord. When this tube does not form correctly the result is severe birth defects, including spina bifida, which continue to affect approximately 1 in every 1,000 pregnancies. Mice develop spina bifida similarly to humans & we are able to culture mouse embryos outside of the mother in order to microscopically visualise their development using advanced microscopy. This allows us to compare mechanical forces generated by their cells during normal versus faulty tube formation, which will help us better predict and ultimately prevent spina bifida.