Mechanics of Development lab

The Saunders Lab uses quantitative experiments and theory to take a systems approach to tackling problems in developmental biology. In particular, we are interested in deconstructing how robust patterns and structures emerge from the complex array of genetic and biophysical interactions occurring in the embryo. We use four-dimensional in vivo imaging of organogenesis and tissue formation inside the developing zebrafish embryo to better understand how organs grow, scale and interact during development. We focus primarily on the developing myotome, from initial cell specification in the presomitic mesoderm through to how muscle fibres are formed and arranged.