Julian Lewis : Vertebrate Development

The Vertebrate Development lab has been mainly concerned with the functions of the Notch cell-to-cell signalling pathway, which plays a central part in governing patters of cell differentiation, not only in embryonic development, but also in adult tissue that renew by means of stem cells, and in cancer, where abnormalities of Notch signalling can be oncogenic.

In a developing embryo, or a self-renewing tissue, or a growing tumour, many things are happening at once. Multicellular development is like an orchestral performance: for a good outcome the activities of the different cells must be properly coordinated in time as well as space. In spite of extraordinary advances in knowledge of the molecules that govern spatial patterning and cell differentiation, the control of developmental timing is poorly understood. Our lab focuses chiefly on one particular piece of regulatory machinery - the Notch signalling pathway - that operates in many different contexts to coordinate gene expression in adjacent cells. Through a combination of quantitative experiments and mathematical modelling, we seek to understand the dynamics of Notch signalling and its role in the timing as well as the spatial patterning of developmental processes. We have special interests in the part played by Notch signalling in the segmental patterning of the body axis, in sensory cell differentiation in the ear, and in the stem-cell system that continually renews the lining of the gut.

Julian closed his lab at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratories at LRI, but remains an Emeritus Group Leader. (email: julian.lewis@cancer.org.uk)