Understanding the self-organization of morphogenesis and collective cell migration in the zebrafish embryo

The posterior Lateral Line primordium is a group of about a hundred cells that migrates under the skin, from the ear to the tip of the tail, periodically forming and depositing sensory organs called neuromasts, to spearhead formation of the zebrafish Lateral Line sensory system. In recent years, this relatively simple and accessible system has emerged as an attractive model for understanding various aspects of morphogenesis in the developing embryo, including the guidance of cell migration, tissue patterning and organ formation. The goal is to use a combination of cellular, molecular, genetic and biomechanical manipulations coupled with live imaging, image processing and the development of multi-scale computational models to understand the self-organization of cell-fate, morphogenesis and migration of the lateral line primordium. Specific focus will be on developing tools and methods for investigating, imaging, quantifying and modelling the mechanics of collective migration, morphogenesis of epithelial rosettes and the intercellular and intracellular signaling networks that coordinate lateral line primordium development.