The Unit on Developmental Signaling uses zebrafish embryos and molecular optogenetics to explore fundamental developmental biology questions. To understand how complex animal bodies are formed during development, we investigate how signaling molecules move through embryonic tissues and how cells respond to signaling. This is key to revealing how different tissues and organs are routinely produced by developing embryos to create healthy adults.

Zebrafish embryos are ideal for light microscopy-based research because they are transparent and develop outside of their mother. These same properties make them ideal for molecular optogenetics methods in which biological processes are experimentally manipulated using light. We use existing and novel molecular optogenetics approaches to manipulate key developmental processes to better understand how animal bodies are patterned.