This epic paper, which has been a heroic 10 year journey for the lead author, Ricardo Barrientos, is finally out in Cell today! Many thanks to all co-authors, especially Billie Meadowcroft and Andela Saric for their beautiful MD simulations www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Basement membrane turnover controls cell shape

Basement membranes are scaffolds of proteins, like collagen, that give organs shape. During development, basement membranes must adapt to the growing organ. We infer how fast the basement membrane ada...

cell.com

Sad to be saying goodbye to Drosophila, but excited to get this work out on bioRxiv! If you are interested in the interplay of tissue flows and cool ways to mess them up, this read is for you :) Thanks to colleagues and co-authors! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

New paper in @natphys.nature.com! We uncovered a stress adapation mechanism where keratin intermediate filaments in stretched epithelia undergo a supracellular bundling transition that uncages the nucleus. www.nature.com/articles/s41... @ibecbarcelona.eu, @upc.edu @qmul.bsky.social

Congratulations, Anna Erzberger! The EMBL Group Leader has received the Inaugural Suzanne Eaton ‘Rising Star’ Award for Physics of Life in 2026, presented by @poldresden.bsky.social. Learn more: www.embl.org/news/awards-...

I am thrilled to share my PhD work with @nicolettapetridou.bsky.social @embl.org: www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/... A fun collaboration with Bernat Corominas-Murtra, Adrián Aguirre-Tamaral, @bart-smeets.bsky.social , Jef Vanghel and Tom Belpaire! Read the story in the comments below ⤵️

First pre-print from the lab, a collaborative effort led by Jess Bourn @bournsupremacy.bsky.social, a fantastic PhD in my group. We resolve a key problem in development + evolution: how do we quantify heterochrony and link temporal variation to phenotype? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Quantitative mapping of heterochrony to species-specific phenotypes

The genetic program of animal development is conserved, but its rate of execution varies across species. Heterochrony, shifts in the relative timing of developmental events, generates phenotypic varia...

biorxiv.org

I am honoured to have received the Otto Hahn Medal! Thank you Jan @brugueslab.bsky.social, @ursa-ursic.bsky.social, Michael Staddon, @mpi-cbg.de, and @poldresden.bsky.social for your support during this scientific journey!

Brugues Lab@brugueslab.bsky.social · 2mo ago

It was an honor to introduce @alisonkickuth.bsky.social during the Otto Hahn medal ceremony from the @maxplanck.de in recognition for her amazing PhD, where she discovered a new mechanism for unilateral cytokinesis (www.nature.com/articles/s41...)

Our latest: Minimal essential requirements for neural tube self-organisation How does a single cell give rise to a tissue with the right cell types in the right proportions? We deconstruct and rebuild a self-organising tissue from first principles A thread🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Minimal essential requirements for neural tube self-organisation

The reliable generation of diverse cell types in precise proportions is essential for the formation of functional tissues during embryonic development. Three-dimensional organoid models derived from p...

biorxiv.org

How does a relatively simple tube become a complex brain? 🧠 One of the most dramatic transformations in development! We built a framework to map exactly what changes. 🧵 New preprint from my postdoc at @nerurkar.bsky.social lab: doi.org/10.64898/202...

🚨Job alert in theory/math devbio 🚨 I’m currently advertising postdoc positions to join my group. We’re building reaction-diffusion models to understand some of the amazing things embryos can do. We are based in a beautiful part of Scotland! Please share! www.abdn.ac.uk/jobs/vacanci...

Glad to see this out in its final form! www.nature.com/articles/s41... What changed since the preprint? Wonderful experiments disentangling the effect of receptor binding vs tissue porosity on Nodal diffusion, plus one of the smoothest review experiences! Thanks @natcellbio.nature.com & reviewers 🙏

Tissue rigidity phase transition shapes morphogen gradients - Nature Cell Biology

Autorino et al. report a feedback loop between Nodal signalling and tissue phase transitions in zebrafish embryos. Nodal alters adhesion, triggering tissue rigidification and reduced porosity, which l...

nature.com

Nicoletta Petridou@nicolettapetridou.bsky.social · last yr.

Here our latest work on how morphogens trigger tissue phase transitions to tune their own length-scales and time-scales - An exciting collaboration with @zhvas.bsky.social @dianakhorom.bsky.social Bernat Corominas-Murtra and heroic experiments by the incredible @cami-autorino.bsky.social @embl.org

A real computational tour de force by @ericneiva.bsky.social, carried out as Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellow in the team, now published in the Journal of Computational Physics: urlr.me/AuzK86 Congratulations, Eric! @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social Grateful to @ec.europa.eu for funding support

Eric Neiva@ericneiva.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Just published 📢 @herveturlier.bsky.social and I show how the most advanced unfitted finite elements can increase our capacity to investigate fundamental problems in cell morphogenesis. 👉 Link to paper: doi.org/10.1016/j.jc... 🚀 Stay tuned for future applications to animal systems!

Now published. Congrats to Soham and all co-authors! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/.... @embl.org

Aissam Ikmi@aikmi.bsky.social · last yr.

We thought we were just studying mesoglea biogenesis…Turns out Nematostella has been hiding a sophisticated backup pressure valve! Work driven by the talented PhD student Soham Basu! @embl.org‬ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Our latest work on shape-programmable tissues is out in @science.org. By positioning topological defects in cellular nematics, we encode frustrated 2D force fields that relax into predictable 3D shapes. Collaboration with Marino Arroyo’s lab, led by @pauguillamat.bsky.social at @ibecbarcelona.eu.

Just published in @science.org 🚀 By controlling how cells align, we show that living nematic tissues can be programmed to generate forces and fold into predictable 3D shapes. A new platform for tissue engineering and the design of smart active materials! 🫆 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Pau Guillamat@pauguillamat.bsky.social · last yr.

New preprint out! We show how cellular nematic order can be harnessed to program tissue-wide force fields and guide 3D shape transformations. The tissue morphogenesis logic, now engineered into living, programmable materials. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1... #ActiveMatter #TissueEngineering

Congratulations to Vikas Trivedi & collaborators for being awarded the HFSP grant! An international team coordinated by EMBL Barcelona researchers has been awarded $1.5M to study how developing organisms stay on track despite climate-driven temperature instability. www.embl.org/news/awards-...

New funding to explore how embryos survive temperature stress in the era of climate change | EMBL

An international team coordinated by Vikas Trivedi at EMBL Barcelona has been awarded an HFSP grant worth $1.5 million (€1.3 M) to study how developing organisms stay on track despite climate-driven t...

embl.org

We are hiring! Come work with us in sunny Barcelona. We are looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher to study neuronal degeneration in Alzheimer’s Disease. Please help spread the word, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. ibecbarcelona.eu/postdoctoral...

Postdoctoral Researcher at the Molecular Bionics Research Group (Neuronal Degeneration in Alzheimer’s Disease Project) - Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia

PR-AH // Deadline: 30/04/2026

ibecbarcelona.eu

The @vbcscitraining.bsky.social is looking a PhD Program Manager! Needless to say this is an incredible important position. So please apply if you want to help us find, recruit and train the next generation of scientists! RT appreciated!

Vienna BioCenter Scientific Training@vbcscitraining.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Exciting job offer: PhD Program Manager. Lead recruitment, support PhD candidates, and shape doctoral training at a top international life sciences campus. https://ow.ly/3YkN50YAuGM Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Max Perutz Labs Vienna, IMP, Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology

Finished your PhD & looking for a Postdoc position? Intrigued by #zebrafish heart morphogenesis? Job available in the @rashmi-priya.bsky.social Lab at @crick.ac.uk (Initial 4 years funding w/ potential for 2 additional years)🐟❤️ More details: crick.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/External/job... Please share 🧪

We’re looking for a new team member! 🚀 Only 3 more weeks to apply to the fantastic Vienna BioCenter PhD program

Vienna BioCenter Scientific Training@vbcscitraining.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Our Spring PhD call is OPEN! 30+ fully funded positions across diverse life science disciplines. Explore projects in Stem Cells, Development: www.vbcphd.at Apply by 9 April 2025 Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Max Perutz Labs Vienna, IMP, Gregor Mendel Institute of Molecular Plant Biology

Now online! Deciphering mechanical determinants of morphological evolution

Deciphering mechanical determinants of morphological evolution

A comparative analysis of cnidarian larval morphogenesis combined with active surface theory identifies a set of mesoscale mechanical modules that predict species-specific shapes. Manipulating these modules reprograms morphology, revealing how variation in tissue-scale mechanics underlies morphological diversity.

dlvr.it

Our study on shape diversity in cnidarians is now published. The final version includes extensive new data that substantially extend the original bioRxiv preprint. Congrats to everyone who contributed to this work! www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... @embl.org

Deciphering mechanical determinants of morphological evolution

A comparative analysis of cnidarian larval morphogenesis combined with active surface theory identifies a set of mesoscale mechanical modules that predict species-specific shapes. Manipulating these m...

cell.com

Planarians also reproduce asexually by fission – pulling their body in two & then regenerating the missing halves. Breaking occurs all over development; see this recent @dev-journal.bsky.social Review from @torres-sanchez.bsky.social, @rashmi-priya.bsky.social & colleagues: doi.org/10.1242/dev....

Are you fascinated by self-organised patterning processes? The brand-new Stuart lab at EMBL Barcelona is looking for a lab manager! Hannah @htstuart.bsky.social is a fantastic scientist and mentor. Building the lab with her will be a lot of fun! embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/EMBL/job/Bar...

Lab Manager - Stuart Group

The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is one of the world’s leading life science research organisations. With sites across Europe, EMBL fosters an international, collaborative, and inclusiv...

embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com

Really interesting article about fracture in developing tissues. For a deep dive into examples across species, you can also check out @rashmi-priya.bsky.social and @torres-sanchez.bsky.social's recent Review in Development @dev-journal.bsky.social ⬇️ journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...

Quanta Magazine@quantamagazine.org · 5mo ago

Sometimes, the only way to build back up is to let everything fall apart. This is certainly true at the cellular level. www.quantamagazine.org/break-it-to-...

“In biology, breaking isn’t always a failure,” said the developmental biologist Rashmi Priya (right). “It’s often a necessary step in building something new.” www.quantamagazine.org/break-it-to-...

We had covered the history of traction force microscopy (TFM) earlier: bsky.app/profile/epim... But what about applying TFM into more physiologically relevant systems, such as those in 3D? I am @barrasa-fano.bsky.social and I'll be your guide through this thread on #3DTractionForceMicroscopy.

Sometimes, the only way to build back up is to let everything fall apart. This is certainly true at the cellular level. www.quantamagazine.org/break-it-to-...

Break It To Make It: How Fracturing Sculpts Tissues and Organs | Quanta Magazine

Growing tissues can crack, break, and dissociate to form structures that can later withstand immense forces.

quantamagazine.org

Interested in a PhD in collective cell migration & mechanobiology? I'm looking to support a candidate applying for a fully funded UK/Home PhD. The project studies the biophysics of migrating cells, using force measurements & optogenetics, with collaborators in Japan. #mechanobiology #PhD eb4bm.org

Home - Engineering Biology For Biomedicine

Engineering Biology for Biomedicine A UKRI:BBSRC Centre for doctoral training Why EB4BM “ Our graduates bridge fundamental biological design principles with biomedical bottlenecks, delivering engineer...

eb4bm.org

I’m thrilled to share that I will join @gustaveroussy.fr as a Group Leader! Our objective: to understand how mechanochemical feedbacks regulate tumor dynamics and plasticity, with the overarching goal of bridging tissue mechanobiology and tumor pathophysiology using human organoids.