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Courtney Lancaster's picture

Wellcome Optical Biology PhD student, Pichaud Lab

courtney.lancaster.20@ucl.ac.uk

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Research synopsis

My project focuses on how cells change shape during development and how multiple different cell types organise to give rise to a functional epithelial tissue. Specifically, I am focussing on the mechanisms that regulate cell shape at the basal (bottom) surface and how the basal surface of an epithelium contributes to organogenesis. For this, I am using the Drosophila retina, which is advantageous due to its powerful genetic toolkit, enabling the manipulation of genes/proteins in a living animal. I am combining this with multiple imaging methods (Confocal, spinning disc, lightsheet, and super-resolution microscopy) to understand morphogenesis at the molecular level and how this leads to changes in cell and organ shape. I am also using image analysis, such as 2D and 3D segmentation, to analyse how different perturbations lead to changes in cell and organ shape.

Biography

2016-2020 | Durham University, MBiol in Biological Sciences

Awards

2020 | Durham MBiol research project prize
2018 | Development module prize
2018 | BSDB Gurdon Summer Studentship awardee

Research themes

Morphogenesis
Cell-cell interactions
Adhesion
Extra-cellular matrix
Cell shape 
 

Technology

Light microscopy
Super-resolution microscopy
Imaris
Napari