[SS02] Biophysics of cell and developmental biology

[SS02-01] What can the in toto zebrafish model offer to biophysicists? (EMBO Global Investigator Lecture)

*Chen-Hui Chen^1,2 (1. ICOB at Academia Sinica (Taiwan), 2. EMBO Global Investigator (Taiwan))

Keywords:

zebrafish,live imaging,skin cells,organismic development,tissue regeneration

Development and regeneration of complex tissues involve highly coordinated control of many cells and diverse cell types on a large scale. However, capturing collective cell behaviors and dissecting their regulatory mechanisms at the whole-organism level remain technically challenging in any vertebrate models. Using zebrafish as a model system, my laboratory is focused on developing multicolor cell barcoding tools, live imaging platforms, and high-content quantitative analyses for capturing cell dynamism at millimeter scales and in three-dimensional space. I will present our latest works, based on in toto imaging of skin cells, to showcase intricate cell dynamics and mechanics that may only become evident when monitoring each and every cell over extended time periods in a live animal. Additionally, I will highlight the unique opportunities our models and tools may offer to both developmental biologists and biophysicists.