2023/05/25 by Ana Patricia Ramos, Alicja Szałapak, Lucrezia C. Ferme +1 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #3D Printing in Biomedical Research #Cellular Mechanics and Interactions #Micro and Nano Robotics
paper · pdf · doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2023.05.015
openalex publication_date 2023/05/25 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01
Organogenesis arises from the collective arrangement of cells into progressively 3D-shaped tissue. The acquisition of a correctly shaped organ is then the result of a complex interplay between molecular cues, responsible for differentiation and patterning, and the mechanical properties of the system, which generate the necessary forces that drive correct shape emergence. Nowadays, technological advances in the fields of microscopy, molecular biology, and computer science are making it possible to see and record such complex interactions in incredible, unforeseen detail within the global context of the developing embryo. A quantitative and interdisciplinary perspective of developmental biology becomes then necessary for a comprehensive understanding of morphogenesis. Here, we provide a roadmap to quantify the events that lead to morphogenesis from imaging to image analysis, quantification, and modeling, focusing on the discrete cellular and tissue shape changes, as well as their mechanical properties.