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Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience

 

How are myriads of different cells made, organised into tissues, arranged in the correct places and co-ordinated functionally to form an animal? These are fundamental questions that research into developmental biology seeks to address. They are important not only for understanding how the body is made but also for our understanding of diseases, since inappropriate activity of developmental components is at the root of cancers and degenerative disorders. Within the department we are investigating many aspects of development, including how cells are genetically and epigenetically programmed to become different, how cells talk to one another, how cells respond to signals to migrate or to send out long processes, how cells assemble and re-arrange to make tissues and how cells mature and differentiate as their functions change with age. We use a wide range of approaches to investigate these questions; from genetics and genomics, to sophisticated cell biology and imaging, to physiological measurements in whole organisms. As models we study diverse animals, including invertebrates as well as vertebrates, to find out how these fundamental processes are controlled and co-ordinated.

Each different tissue type in the body has its own characteristics and poses particular challenges for our understanding of development. One strong interest in the department is in the nervous system, whose complexity and long-distance wiring are a major developmental feat. We are investigating how different types of neural populations are programmed to produce the correct number of cells in the right place and how their axons navigate over long distances and then make synaptic connections with specific target cells. A second interest is in germ cell (egg and sperm) development. These unique cells are the precursors for all cells in the body and we are unravelling what genetic and epigenetic components contribute to their unique properties. In addition, populations of cells, such as germ cells and neural stem cells, have the capacity to self-renew and are potentially an important therapeutic tool for the future. Several groups are endeavouring to understand the self-renewal properties of stem cells and what regulates their differentiation into different cell types. A third major research interest is in mammalian development and the processes that control and co-ordinate the interactions between the developing animal and its mother that lead to the delivery of viable young. In particular, we are studying the role of genomic imprinting and environmental signals in programming intrauterine development with particular emphasis on the interaction between genes, cells, tissues and organs in the control of physiological systems. These studies have important implications for pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth retardation and for the early life origins of adult disease.


Picture of Dr Richard J Adams
University Lecturer
Fax: +44 (0) 1223 333840
Picture of  Dr David  Bainbridge
University Clinical Veterinary Anatomist
Fellow of St Catharine's College
+44 (0) 1223 333799, Fax: +44 (0) 1223 333786
Picture of  Professor Clare  Baker
Professor of Comparative Developmental Neurobiology
Fax: +44 (0) 1223 333786
Dr Guy  Blanchard
Senior Research Associate
+44 (0) 1223 368083, ORCiD: 0000-0002-3689-0522
Picture of Professor Andrea H Brand
Herchel Smith Professor of Molecular Biology
+44 (0) 1223 334141
Picture of Professor Sarah  Bray
Professor of Developmental Biology
Joint Head of Department
Wellcome Trust Investigator
+44 (0) 1223 765222, Fax: +44 (0) 1223 333786
 Graham  Burton
Emeritus Mary Marshall and Arthur Walton Professor of the Physiology of Reproduction (retired)
Founding Director of Centre for Trophoblast Research
Picture of Professor Bill  Colledge
Professor of Reproductive Physiology
Joint Head of Department
+44 (0) 1223 333881, Lab: 765302, Fax: 333840
Picture of Dr Alison J Forhead
University Lecturer
+44 (0) 1223 333853/766125, Fax: +44 (0) 1223 333840
Professor Abigail L Fowden
Professor of Perinatal Physiology
(Retired)
+44 (0) 1223 333899, Fax: +44 (0) 1223 333840
Picture of Professor Dino A Giussani
Professor of Developmental Cardiovascular Physiology & Medicine
+44 (0) 1223 333894, Fax: +44 (0) 1223 333840
Professor Martin  Johnson
Emeritus Professor of Reproductive Sciences (retired)
Fax: +44 (0) 1223 333786
Professor Roger  Keynes
Professor of Neuroscience (Emeritus)
+44 (0) 1223 333760, 38456
Dr Youguo  Niu
Senior Research Associate
Director of the Heart Laboratory at the Barcroft Centre, University of Cambridge
+44 (0)1223 748070/333816
Picture of Paul Schofield
Professor in Biomedical Informatics
+44 (0) 1223 333878, Fax: +44 (0) 1223 333840
Picture of Dr Amanda N. Sferruzzi-Perri
University Professor in Fetal and Placental Physiology
Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow (2014-2019)
Lister Institute for Preventative Medicine Research Fellow
+44 (0) 1223 333807, Lab: +44 (0) 1223 746744
 Picture of Azim  Surani
Director of Germline and Epigenomics Research
+44 (0) 1223 334088
Dr Simon  Tunster
Next Generation Fellow
+44 (0)1223 333886
Picture of Dr Erica D Watson
Associate Professor in Reproductive Biology
+44 (0) 1223 333858
Picture of  Rob  White
+44 (0) 1223 768080, Fax: +44 (0) 1223 333840
Dr Peter F P Wooding
Honorary Senior Research Associate (retired)
+44 (0) 1223 333868
Picture of Dr Fengzhu  Xiong
Group Leader at Gurdon Institute
Affiliated with PDN
+44 (0) 1223 3767201
 Picture of Magdalena  Zernicka-Goetz
Professor of Mammalian Development and Stem Cell Biology
+44 (0) 1223 763291, PA: +44 (0) 1223 331720