RESEARCH PROJECTS
We are interested in cell biology, morphogenesis, and organ chirality. To explore these topics, we use Drosophila melanogaster as our primary model system. Below, you can find an overview of our research focus and current and future projects. More projects will be added as the lab grows.
​
We will soon begin hiring—so check back for upcoming Job Postings!
Big Picture
Understanding Mesenchymal Sculpting and Organ Chirality
We are fascinated by how organs can be sculpted by mesenchymal layers such as musculature. Mesenchymal tissues shape organs through their elasticity and migratory dynamics. Mesenchymal cells not only sculpt tissues, but often exhibit complex, rule-based collective behaviors, reminiscent of animal swarms. How are such collective behaviors harnessed to precisely shape organs?
​
Many organs, including the gut and the heart, possess not only defined shapes but also defined chirality, which is essential for their function. Previous research has shown that molecular chirality can play a decisive role. At the same time, some organs, such as the vertebrate heart or most Drosophila organs, exhibit tissue-intrinsic handedness. How does molecular chirality influence cellular decision-making and collective behavior to generate organ-level asymmetry?
​
To investigate mesenchymal sculpting morphogenesis, we use the Drosophila testis as our primary model. In the future, we aim to complement this with semi-synthetic systems and organoid models. In Drosophila, the testis is shaped by a migrating mesenchymal population of muscle precursors that form conical spirals of consistent chirality. How do these muscle cells coordinate to achieve such a structure, and how do they break symmetry? And how do these processes emerge mechanically at the tissue level?
Project 1
Adhesion GPCR Latrophilin/
Cirl in Collective Cell Migration and Cell Alignment
This project investigates how mesenchymal cells form a continuous muscle layer around the Drosophila testis through contact-dependent collective migration and nematic alignment. We focus on the adhesion GPCR Cirl (Latrophilin), which we found to be essential for cell movement and alignment during sheath formation. Using live imaging and genetic approaches, we aim to uncover how Cirl controls migration, protrusive dynamics, and cytoskeletal organization, and whether it acts through G-protein signaling, adhesion, or mechanosensation. Ultimately, this work asks how molecular mechanisms drive emergent tissue-scale morphogenesis.
​
The project will be part of the SFB/CRC 1348.
It is fully funded and we will look for a PhD student soon. Stay tuned and check out the Job Postings site
Project 2
EB1-GFP
Microtubule Dynamics in Collective Cell Migration and Mesenchymal Intercalation
This project explores the role of microtubule dynamics in collective cell migration and mesenchymal intercalation. Microtubules are key regulators of directional persistence, polarity, and cell-cell coordination. Using the Drosophila testis as a model, we aim to determine how microtubule organization guides the rearrangements and intercalation behaviors that allow mesenchymal cells to form coherent, tissue-spanning structures. Through live imaging, genetic perturbations, and quantitative analysis, we seek to reveal how microtubules support large-scale tissue morphogenesis.
Project 3
Biomechanics of mesenchymal spiral morphogenesis
This project investigates how mesenchymal cells mechanically shape the Drosophila testis into a reproducible spiral. We explore how cell migration, intercalation, and long-range communication break symmetry and generate curved organ architecture. Using live imaging, mechanical perturbations, and computational modeling, we aim to uncover how forces, adhesion, and mechanosensation enable mesenchymal tissues to self-organize and sculpt three-dimensional organ shape. To complement our in vivo work, we will develop semi-synthetic platforms to directly quantify the sculpting capacity of muscle precursor cells in a standardized environment.
Project 4
The Emergence of Chirality in Organ Development
This project investigates how left-right molecular chirality is translated into large-scale organ twisting. We study how mesenchymal muscle precursors rotate and intercalate to coil the Drosophila testis into a defined helix. Using live imaging, quantitative analysis, and computational modeling, we aim to uncover how chiral cytoskeleton dynamics bias cell behavior and propagate chirality across the tissue. In parallel, we use interspecies comparisons and genetic perturbations to identify the evolutionary and molecular determinants that control organ looping and chiral morphogenesis.