Animal development is a fascinating, complex process that involves a detailed genetic plan and the recruitment of a myriad of molecules for signaling. At an intermediate level, many cells interact through mechano-chemical processes that ultimately give rise to remarkable patterns at the tissue level. The motion of cell collectives plays a central role in tissue formation. In this context, the 'epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition' (EMT) is an essential process by which non-migratory epithelial cells become motile (mesenchymal). This process (and the reverse process, MET) helps sculpt tissues by locally 'fluidizing' them.
Previously we showed that EMT represents an order-to-disorder transition (i.e., correlated to random cell velocities), maintaining body-axis symmetry during vertebrate tail formation. EMT may also represent a transition from 'solid-like' to 'fluid-like' behavior in tissue. In general, we are interested to know how changes in cellular properties (such as cell-cell adhesion, cortical tension, etc.) lead to such transitions at a tissue level by developing computational models of tissues.

We are also interested to understand how cells integrate multiple guidance cues during migration. As a model system, we are currently studying the chemotactic cell migration in a fruit-fly egg chamber, collaborating with developmental biologists.