MECHANISMS OF CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY|PRINCIPLES OF DEVELOPMENT|DEVELOPMENT|DEVELOPMENTAL

This module will consider the cellular and molecular events which underlie animal development and cell differentiation, drawing on examples from a range of...

This module will consider the cellular and molecular events which underlie animal development and cell differentiation, drawing on examples from a range of vertebrate and invertebrate organisms. The objective of the module it to train students to not only understand evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of development through a detailed study of experimental evidence, but also to provide students with an overview of how to investigate and uncover developmental mechanisms using classical and modern genetic and embryology techniques across a variety of model systems including: Xenopus, Chick, Mouse, Zebrafish, C. elegans, Drosophila melanogaster, Sea urchins and human organoids.

Topics will include morphogen gradients, signalling pathways, cell intrinsic and extrinsic signalling, cell fate, etc. in the context of embryonic and tissue patterning, limb regeneration, neural induction, etc.

This module is an option for students on Biosciences and Natural Sciences programmes, and may be taken as an elective by students (including affiliate students) on other degree programmes.

Indicative lecture topics (based on module content in 2021/22):

Introduction and concepts.
	Principles of experimental design, experimental approaches and developmental systems.
	Xenopus (2 lectures).
	Chick (3 lectures).
	Zebrafish (3 lectures).
	C. elegans (2 lectures).
	Human development
	Mouse (2 lectures).
	Drosophila (3 lectures).
	Mechanobiology and development.
	Revision (2 lectures).
Module organizers: Dr Vilaiwan Fernandes (vilaiwan.fernandes@ucl.ac.uk) and Prof. Claudio Stern (c.stern@ucl.ac.uk).

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