Multicellular Morphogenesis Lab
Unravelling the principles of multicellular morphogenesis
Multicellular Morphogenesis Lab
Unravelling the principles of multicellular morphogenesis
We are a developmental biology lab at UCL, within the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology (CDB). We are affiliated with COCO (Centre for Organelles to Cells to Organisms) and IPLS (Institute for the Physics of Life Sciences).
Our goal is to unravel the principles of multicellular morphogenesis using a combination of tools from experimental embryology, biophysics, and molecular biology. We work with different models, including zebrafish, chicken, and in vitro systems derived from human iPS cells.
We’re drawn to processes that happen at the tissue scale, yet we strive to link different levels of organizations, from molecules to organs. We believe that cells, more than simple “bags of RNA”, are the dynamic organizing centers of tissue morphogenesis.
Research
Research
Research Projects
People
People
Current Lab Members
Alessandro Mongera
Principal Investigator
ORCID ID
Ana Alex
LIDo PhD student
co-supervised with Malcolm Logan
COLLABORATORS
Giovanna Capovilla ORCID ID
Former Lab Members
Yu Hong Law: Undergraduate Student
Jiarui Miao: Undergraduate Student
Melissa Demir: MRes Student
Aisha Samee: Undergraduate Research Assistant
Alex Vafea: Research Technician
Octavian Voiculescu: Postdoc
Publications
Publications
Peer Reviewed
Michaut A, Mongera A, Gupta A, Tarazona OA, Serra M, Kefala GM, Rigoni P, Lee JG, Rivas F, Hall AR, Mahadevan L, Guevorkian K, Pourquié O.
Extracellular volume expansion drives vertebrate axis elongation.
Curr Biol. 2025 Feb 24;35(4):843-853.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.12.051. Epub 2025 Jan 28. PMID:39879975; PMCID: PMC12132909.
Miao Y, Djeffal Y, De Simone A, Zhu K, Lee JG, Lu Z, Silberfeld A, Rao J, Tarazona OA, Mongera A, Rigoni P, Diaz-Cuadros M, Song LMS, Di Talia S, Pourquié O.
Reconstruction and deconstruction of human somitogenesis in vitro.
Nature. 2023 Feb;614(7948):500-508. doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05655-4. Epub 2022 Dec 21.
PMID: 36543321; PMCID: PMC10018515.
Mongera A*, Pochitaloff M*, Gustafson HJ, Stooke-Vaughan GA, Rowghanian P, Kim S, Campàs O.
Mechanics of the cellular microenvironment as probed by cells in vivo during zebrafish presomitic mesoderm differentiation.
Nat Mater. 2023 Jan;22(1):135-143. doi: 10.1038/s41563-022-01433-9. Epub 2022 Dec 28.
PMID: 36577855; PMCID: PMC9812792.
Mongera A, Rowghanian P, Gustafson HJ, Shelton E, Kealhofer DA, Carn EK, Serwane F, Lucio AA, Giammona J, Campàs O.
A fluid-to-solid jamming transition underlies vertebrate body axis elongation.
Nature. 2018 Sep;561(7723):401-405. doi: 10.1038/s41586-018-0479-2. Epub 2018 Sep 5.
PMID: 30185907; PMCID:PMC6148385.
Lucio AA, Mongera A, Shelton E, Chen R, Doyle AM, Campàs O.
Spatiotemporal variation of endogenous cell-generated stresses within 3D multicellular spheroids.
Sci Rep. 2017 Sep 20;7(1):12022. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-12363-x.
PMID: 28931891; PMCID: PMC5607343.
Serwane F, Mongera A, Rowghanian P, Kealhofer DA, Lucio AA, Hockenbery ZM, Campàs O.
In vivo quantification of spatially varying mechanical properties in developing tissues.
Nat Methods. 2017 Feb;14(2):181-186. doi: 10.1038/nmeth.4101. Epub 2016 Dec 5.
PMID: 27918540; PMCID: PMC5524219.
Reviews
Mongera A*, Michaut A*, Guillot C, Xiong F, Pourquié O.
Mechanics of Anteroposterior Axis Formation in Vertebrates.
Annu Rev Cell Dev Biol. 2019 Oct 6;35:259-283. doi: 10.1146/annurev-cellbio-100818-125436. Epub 2019 Aug 14.
PMID: 31412208; PMCID: PMC7394480.
Preprints
Yan R, Hoffmann LA, Oikonomou P, Li D, Lee C, Gill H, Mongera A, Nerurkar NL, Mahadevan L, Tabin CJ.
Convergent flow-mediated mesenchymal force drives embryonic foregut constriction and splitting.
bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2025 Jan 23:2025.01.22.634318. doi: 10.1101/2025.01.22.634318. PMID: 39896544; PMCID:PMC11785243.
Funding
Funding
Our Funders
Grants:
Wellcome Career Development Award
Mechanometabolic control of vertebrate limb elongation (2025-2033)
The Royal Society
Mechanical control of a biological clock (2025-2026)
Human Frontier Science Project
Mechanical control of hidden embryonic boundaries (2024-2027)
The Academy of Medical Sciences
Metabolic control of tissue phase transitions (2024-2026)
Contact
Contact
Contact Us
We are proudly located on the second floor (the ‘Embryology floor’) of the Anatomy Building at University College London. This is where notable figures like evolutionary embryologist Gavin de Beer, cell biologist Michael Abercrombie , neurophysiologist J.Z. Young, and developmental biologist Lewis Wolpert once had their own laboratories.
We share this space with fantastic colleagues working across biological scales, from cell signaling to animal development, from stem cell biology to evolutionary morphology. You can explore more about them here.
Multicellular Morphogenesis Lab
Department of Cell & Developmental Biology
University College London
Anatomy Building, Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT
Join Us
Join Us
Join Us
We are always looking for motivated people to join the lab. Whether you are looking for a summer internship, a master project, a PhD, or a postdoc please start a conversation by contacting us at a.mongera@ucl.ac.uk
