Dr. Eyal Karzbrun

A new lab is opening @WIS :)  

We will study how organs get into their shape by developing cutting-edge 3D stem-cell models, and by applying concepts from physics to biology. We are interested in understanding how does an organ 'know' its target shape? Since shape changes are a physical process, we aim to reveal the mechanical forces which are involved in organ shape formation, and how mechanics is biologically regulated. We focus on human stem cells because they offer a minimal and controllable experimental system. In addition, stem cells open a window for understanding human birth defects.

We have recently developed a stem-cell system that mimics human neural tube formation - the first event in the development of the nervous system (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-021-04026-9). We will apply our neural tube system to understand what drives neural tube morphogenesis, and which processes are misrelated during neural tube defects  - a devastating and prevailing birth defect.

Lab work will involve 3D stem-cell culture, microfabrication, omics, live imaging, and mathematical modeling. The lab is multidisciplinary and welcomes students from all backgrounds!

To find out more, visit our website - https://www.karzbrunlab.com.