Research

The Developmental Genetics group investigates topics relevant to human biomedicine with using the model organism Drosophila melanogaster. Embryonic development in the fruit fly Drosophila shares remarkable similarities with human cell biology at the molecular, cellular and tissue level. In fact, about 75% of the disease-relevant genes in humans are evolutionarily conserved in Drosophila. The aim of the research projects is to better understand the molecular basis of morphogenetic processes, by applying a combination of

experimental approaches including high-resolution dynamic microscopy, genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry and biophysical methods. Our current research focus is on (1) The role of Dynein-based transport along microtubules in cell formation in the Drosophila embryo and (2) The role of cell interactions in coordinated cell movements in gastrulation. Our group is also actively involved in developing novel methods in particular concerning the manipulation and imaging of living Drosophila embryos. Our aim is to describe the temporal sequence of developmental processes, such as gastrulation, at a high temporal and spatial resolution.