Join Dr Jean-Leon Maitre of Institut Curie for a research seminar as part of the Force Talk series entitled "Mechanics of blastocyst morphogenesis".

Abstract

During preimplantation development, the mammalian embryo forms the blastocyst consisting of a surface epithelium enveloping a fluid-filled lumen and a cluster of pluripotent stem cells. The architecture of the blastocyst is key to uterine implantation and further development. The shaping of the blastocyst is the result of changes in the physical properties of the cells, which generate the forces sculpting the embryo. These forces typically originate from the cytoskeleton, adhesion molecules of the osmotic machinery. In the lab, we use live microscopy to observe shape changes across spatiotemporal scales, biophysical tools to characterize the changes in physical properties of cells and tissues, and genetics to disrupt morphogenesis. This led us to discover the major contribution of cell contractility throughout preimplantation morphogenesis in both mouse and human embryos as well as the physical nature of the mechanisms leading to the positioning of the lumen within the embryo.

Speaker

Jean-Léon Maître leads the team Mechanics of mammalian development at Institut Curie since 2016. Jean-Léon Maître completed his PhD on the mechanics of cell adhesion with Professor Carl-Philipp Heisenberg at the MPI for Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden and at the IST Austria in Klosterneuburg. He then pioneered the mechanical analysis of mouse preimplantation development together with Dr Takashi Hiiragi at the EMBL. Since then, the lab of Jean-Léon Maître at Institut Curie uses microscopy, genetics and biophysical tools to understand the forces controlling the early development of mammals, including humans. Discoveries from his lab include the physical mechanisms underlying the formation and positioning of the first axis of symmetry in the mouse embryo or the contractile nature of the forces that sculpt the human embryo during its very first shape change.

Jean-Léon Maître is also keen to share the beauty of embryonic development with the public through participations to radio shows (France Inter), museum exhibitions (Cell Worlds), lay seminars (Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie), short videos (Curie, Fondation Bettencourt-Schueller) or yearly school visits (Déclics).

How to join:

This event will take place online via Microsoft Teams. Register for this event to receive the meeting link and be notified of updates.

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Mechanics of Life Leverhulme DSP Force Talks Series

Force Talks is a seminar series hosted by the Mechanics of Life Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme at King's College London. We are honoured to welcome world leaders in mechanobiology.

The series aims to showcase the rapidly expanding interdisciplinary field of mechanobiology and mechanical forces. We welcome those from academia and industry to attend and take part in the discussions.

The programme is funded by the Leverhulme Trust doctoral scholarship grant "Understanding the mechanics of life".

Learn more about the Mechanics of Life Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme