How do growing organs get their shape? 🧬 @yanlanmao.bsky.social's team has discovered that continual renewal of the basement membrane, a protein scaffold surrounding tissues, helps determine cell shape during development. Read the full story here: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science...

Basement membrane turnover found to shape cells during development

UCL researchers reveal how turnover of the basement membrane controls cell shape during development, uncovering a key mechanism that helps growing tissues form correctly.

ucl.ac.uk

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

This should be a great meeting! Join us!

John Wallingford@jbwallingford.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Want a sneak-peak at the Santa Cruz Dev Biol meeting? Check it ⬇️! >20 slots for talks chosen from abstracts! New PI Keynote to be selected from abstracts! Dedicated new PI Session! Scott Fraser workshop! Career Workshop! Plenty of time for co-lab building! 🔥😱😍🔥 🐟🪰🪱🐭🔬🧬 scdb2026.sites.ucsc.edu

Bring your family, friends and pupils to join us for a fun day of science! @compscitsui.bsky.social @alomshaha.bsky.social

UCL Faculty of Life Sciences@ucllifesciences.bsky.social · 3mo ago

🔬🌟 Discover, experiment and explore! Join the UCL Life Sciences Science Fair on 13 June 2026 — hands‑on science, demos and short talks, free for everyone. Register: https://bit.ly/4nb5erL #UCLScienceFair #LifeSciences #STEM

This exciting paper is now out in PNAS: www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

3D epithelial cell topology tunes signaling range to promote precise patterning | PNAS

Cell behaviors in multicellular organisms are coordinated via both diffusible molecules and by signals based on direct cell–cell contacts. The mode...

pnas.org

Yanlan Mao@yanlanmao.bsky.social · 12mo ago

An exciting new paper from the lab! Check it out:

I just had the opportunity to share my work at the @embo.org workshop in Haining, China. Great discussions, very welcoming community and amazing venue! Thank you to @yanlanmao.bsky.social, Suhong Xu, Yi Arial Zeng and Xuebiao Yao for organising! I look forward to the next one!

@embo.org and @biologists.bsky.social Workshop has officially started in Haining, China!

Taking a few days off to travel in Yangshuo (Guilin) before attending @embo.org Workshop in Haining next week, but I might just stay in #Yangshuo forever with this view and food!

Wild garlic foraging season - teaching kids to notice the details in life, and it can be fun and tasty! Extra tasty when you work hard to find it, and make it into giant pasties!

Join us!

UCL Faculty of Life Sciences@ucllifesciences.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Interested in joining a dynamic, interdisciplinary research department? A call is open for Group Leaders at the UCL Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology. Please submit your expression of interest by April 13, 2026. Further details here: www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...

Paywalled but visible to many uni-based people Apparently... Much reduced MRC success rate for grants now in pipeline Reduced MRC future funding for 'applicant-led' research But 'life sciences remain a priority'.... Lot of room for more clarity (and recognition of effects on ECRs)

Robin Bisson@robinbisson.bsky.social · 6mo ago

Four senior UKRI leaders appeared at a press briefing this morning in the wake of RPN stories over the last week about a shake-up to research council funding Our story that the MRC is expecting to fund fewer grants through applicant-led calls that closed in September last year was confirmed ...

I watched much of Ian Chapman's (Head of @ukri.org) appearance this morning at @ukparliament.parliament.uk Science, Innovation and Technology Committee.. A few points and new information that bioscientists may find interesting... A 🧵

Woo hoo! Congratulations Giulia and totally well deserved. So proud!

Helen Matthews@helenkmatthews.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Huge congrats Giulia! my fellow @lmcb-ucl.bsky.social @buzzbaum.bsky.social @yanlanmao.bsky.social lab member. Very well deserved :)

Registration and submissions for poster presentations will remain open for a few more weeks: meetings.embo.org/event/26-hom...

EMBO@embo.org · 8mo ago

Sign up now for the EMBO | The Company of Biologists Workshop "Interfacing biophysical and molecular mechanisms of animal #homeostasis and repair" in #Haining, China, 6–10 April 2026. Deadline: 20 December 2025 https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-homeostasis #EMBOBiophysicalRepair #EMBOevents 🧪

Happy new year!

Obligatory Christmas cooking shots, the matcha coconut tiramisu was a new invention, worked a treat!

Festive greetings everyone! Hope you enjoy some precious family time filled with games, wintery walks and of course good food! Mine has started! See you in 2026!

Registration deadline extended to 5th January. Festive greetings!

Yanlan Mao@yanlanmao.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Registration deadline 20th Dec! We have generous travel grants for early career researchers! April is a beautiful time to visit China!

Festive fun with the lab ice skating in Greenwich!

Final week to register! #EMBOevents

EMBO@embo.org · 8mo ago

Sign up now for the EMBO | The Company of Biologists Workshop "Interfacing biophysical and molecular mechanisms of animal #homeostasis and repair" in #Haining, China, 6–10 April 2026. Deadline: 20 December 2025 https://meetings.embo.org/event/26-homeostasis #EMBOBiophysicalRepair #EMBOevents 🧪

Festive dried figs #sourdough bread baking, smells so good!

Honoured to meet @ardemp.bskyverified.social yesterday during his visit to @ucl.ac.uk What an inspirational talk, full of clarity, humour and humility. Too bad I didn’t take a video of the piezo tattoo!

Looking forward to this highly interactive meeting! Great cross-disciplinary speakers & opportunities for contributed talks, sign up !! 👇👇👇

allen institute@alleninstitute.org · 10mo ago

#CellBio community, this one is for you! Applications are open for the #LakeConference on Modeling Life from Cells to Tissues – co-hosted with Circuit Neuroscience Basel! 📆 April 20-22, 2026 📍 Seattle, USA 🔬 All career stages welcomed. Apply to attend by 12/12: alleninstitute.org/events/aics-...

Registration deadline 20th Dec! We have generous travel grants for early career researchers! April is a beautiful time to visit China!

Yanlan Mao@yanlanmao.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Our interdisciplinary @embo.org @biologists.bsky.social workshop on Biophysical and Molecular Mechanisms of Animal Homeostasis and Repair will take place in beautiful Haining, China, 6-10 April 2026. Exciting line up of international speakers! Register now: meetings.embo.org/event/26-hom...

SAVE THE DATE! Stoked to organize the 2026 Santa Cruz Developmental Biology Meeting with @rashmi-priya.bsky.social, @lowelab.bsky.social, and Shelbi Russell. Come learn about Biomedicine, Biomechanics, and the Biosphere, August 24-28, 2026. Registration dates, etc., coming soon! Please RT

Our next #ForceTalk is Prof Yanlan Mao @yanlanmao.bsky.social on "Coping with mechanical stress: tissue dynamics during development, homeostasis and repair" 🗓️ 26 Nov 2025 🕒 15:00 - 16:00 GMT Online & open to all 👉 www.kcl.ac.uk/events/force-talk-yanlan-mao #mechanobiology @kingsnmes.bsky.social

Register for your place at this exciting @embo.org workshop in China now! Places are filling up fast! @biologists.bsky.social

Yanlan Mao@yanlanmao.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Our interdisciplinary @embo.org @biologists.bsky.social workshop on Biophysical and Molecular Mechanisms of Animal Homeostasis and Repair will take place in beautiful Haining, China, 6-10 April 2026. Exciting line up of international speakers! Register now: meetings.embo.org/event/26-hom...

Too many pumpkins left after Halloween? Turn some into delicious sourdough bread or mochi, don’t waste them!

Thank you @rodrigofg.bsky.social and Lola Martin Bermuda for organising this great meeting in Baeza! Beautiful architecture and beautiful science!

Register for your place at this exciting @embo.org workshop in China now! Places are filling up fast! @biologists.bsky.social

Yanlan Mao@yanlanmao.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Our interdisciplinary @embo.org @biologists.bsky.social workshop on Biophysical and Molecular Mechanisms of Animal Homeostasis and Repair will take place in beautiful Haining, China, 6-10 April 2026. Exciting line up of international speakers! Register now: meetings.embo.org/event/26-hom...