This special edition of Development presents… features the four prize winners from the 2024 BSDB Spring meeting. Hosted by BSDB Chair, Marysia Placzek (University of Sheffield).
Wednesday 20 November – 15:00 GMT
Tamina Lebek (The University of Edinburgh) ‘PUFFFIN – Illuminating cellular neighbourhoods in model systems of development’
Callum Bucklow (University of Oxford) ‘Developmental mechanisms of macroevolutionary change in the African Cichlid vertebral column’
Hannah Bruce (University of Liege) ‘A cleaved cytosolic FOXG1 promotes excitatory neurogenesis by modulation of mitochondrial translation – a new therapeutic target for brain disorders’
Stanley Strawbridge (University of Cambridge) ‘Spatiotemporal chromatin binding strategies for transcription factors in pluripotent cells’
At the speakers’ discretion, the webinar will be recorded for viewing on demand. To see the other webinars scheduled in our series, and to catch up on previous talks, please visit: thenode.biologists.com/devpres
This post is co-written by Christopher Thomas and Tabea Marx.
What is this?
This video shows ovulation live! Watch as an egg is released from an isolated ovarian follicle from a mouse. Our latest research uses live microscopy to visualise this fascinating event at the start of life.
Where can this be found?
Ovulation takes place in the ovaries, the female reproductive organs responsible for growing and releasing eggs. The eggs are stored inside fluid-filled sacs called follicles. To make the process visible, we cultured these follicles outside of the ovaries and induced ovulation ex vivo.
How was this taken?
This video was captured using a Zeiss LSM-800 confocal microscope. While working together in the Schuh lab, we developed an imaging setup that allowed us to observe ovulation in real time using isolated follicles from transgenic mice expressing fluorescent markers for histones (H2B-EGFP) and cell membranes (Myristoylated tdTomato). We also injected dextran into the follicular antrum, an extracellular space surrounding the egg, to label the follicular fluid.
What does the follicle do during ovulation?
The follicle goes through three phases during ovulation: it expands, contracts, and then ruptures, releasing the egg for fertilisation. In our paper, we show that expansion is mediated by fluid influx into the follicle, driven by hyaluronic acid secretion, while contraction is controlled by smooth muscle cells in the outer layers of the follicle.
Why should people care about this?
Ovulation is at the heart of reproduction. Understanding this fundamental process better could help treat infertility caused by disorders that cause ovulation to fail, such as PCOS (Polycystic ovary syndrome).
How would you explain this to an 8-year-old?
This video shows how a tiny egg moves from inside to outside of the ovary, a part of the body that helps make babies. The egg’s home in the ovary, called the follicle, bursts like a balloon to release it. Scientists really wanted to see how this happens, so they took some of these tiny bubbles and put them under a special camera that can see very tiny things. Once outside, if the egg meets a sperm, they can join together to make a baby.
Where can people find more about it?
Want to know more about how we filmed this amazing process? Check out our paper in Nature Cell Biology to learn all the details! You can find it here:
This is part of the ‘Lab meeting’ series featuring developmental and stem cell biology labs around the world.
Can you briefly introduce your lab?
My name is Raj Ladher at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore, India. I am interested in how developmental programmes subvert cellular processes to shape and specialise tissues, and we use the inner ear as our model system. We look at the inner ear from induction (what the signals are, what changes does induction elicit), differentiation (how sensory precursors are picked out) and morphogenesis of the cochlea and vestibular systems, and of the individual hair cells.
Raj: I have a lab of the most amazing students – they’re listed from oldest to newest here.
Nishant is looking at hair cell regeneration in the chick cochlea.
Varsha is investigating epithelial fusion during the closure of the otic vesicle.
Surjit is looking at how the birth order of neuroblasts affects where they end up in the inner ear ganglion.
Anubhav is investigating the morphogenesis of the cochlea and how planar polarity is generated.
Raman is working on non-canonical functions of protocadherin-15 in polarity generation.
Mona is working on the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in development.
Sukanya is looking at the downstream roles of Sox2 in the cochlea.
Neelanjana is looking at the signalling pathways involved for sensory fate specification.
Fenil is interested in understanding the molecular processes by which stereocilia acquire their shape.
Rridhi is looking at how inner ear progenitors acquire polarity.
Palak is investigating sensory cell differentiation.
Shivangi investigates how the otic placode thickens and what that means for lineage commitment.
We also have some interns who join our lab to do, for example, their Masters dissertation with us. Sardha, from IISER Mohali, is currently completing her MSc project on actin polymerisation in hair cells with us.
Favourite technique, and why?
Raj: I did my PhD on Xenopus mesoderm induction (with Jim Smith), and “grew up” doing the original organoid experiment – animal caps. Those kinds of classic embryological-type experiments have lots of mileage. I like heterotopic grafts (grafting pieces of tissue from one region of the embryo to another) and love quail-chick chimaeras.
Apart from your own research, what are you most excited about in developmental and stem cell biology?
Raj: Shape interests me, particularly of the face. I am interested in how natural variation tweaks mechanisms that would result in different morphologies of the face.
How do you approach managing your group and all the different tasks required in your job?
Raj: Labs in India run on students, and I have been amazingly fortunate with the students I have. They are amazing – creative, ambitious and fearless. Managing really means making sure that I am accessible or that I can point them to experts who can help them. We have regular lab meetings, and my office is in the lab, and my door is always open. It is also important to ensure they can attend conferences, workshops and courses that help them become better scientists. We have many interns from other institutes come through, giving the lab a chance to be mentors themselves. This holds enormous value, and my lab members are better researchers because of it.
What is the best thing about where you work?
Raj: I have great colleagues doing this fabulous range of topics, so it broadens my horizons about biology. We have 7 cafes on campus, and many places to sit and chat. The campus is gorgeous.
Varsha: The exposure to science at different scales, the facilities that we have access to use and the community.
Anubhav: The place thrives on the support of interdisciplinary exchange of ideas. These discussions over coffee give a fresh perspective on work as well as the outside world.
Raman: The chance to meet people from different culture and discussing the food interests with them and in the meantime science as well.
Neelanjana: The opportunity to discuss our work in progress with the community and the scope of collaborations between various labs on campus is one of the best things about this campus.
Fenil: Clean air, green cover, a bustling cafeteria.
Rridhi: The exposure to different kinds of aspects of biology and how any student can discuss science with anyone on campus.
Palak: The exposure and freedom to explore new projects. Although, it does have its ups and downs. However, the satisfaction of starting something new, making progress, and learning and evolving along the way is incomparable. Over the past two years, I have seen my perspective changing. And, I indeed consider it as a big growth. It’s great to learn from my seniors and gain insights into their journey and how they all have overcome these phases. It gives me hope and motivation to keep on trying and making new mistakes.
What is there to do outside of work?
Raj: There are places to eat and drink, old bazaars and markets to explore, and there’s a pretty decent second-hand book selection in town. Bangalore is surrounded by the Western Ghats, so there are wildlife, rainforests and jungles around us. It is also a wine-growing region, and the wine grown about an hour from the campus is actually very good.
Varsha: There are extracurricular clubs on campus, including movie and book clubs, dance and music clubs, concerts and dance shows arranged by the institute regularly. We also have a very good gym and sports facility.
Anubhav: The campus is at the intersection of the tall building, serving nice coffee and beer and hills, giving you a scenic drive, trek, and wines.
Raman: I like to play all the sports, especially cricket, badminton and sometimes swimming. I also watch different sports. And I love watching movies.
Neelanjana: There are various talks and exhibitions organised by the Archives in NCBS about history of science and its influence on general society which are always interesting to hear. Being a very green campus, a quick walk around is very refreshing to experience. Also taking clicks from the SLC terrace during sunset time.
Fenil: Outside of lab, I love to attend talks, concerts, and playing sports.
Rridhi: There are groups on campus that organise treks, stargazing, observing and photographing birds/butterflies/fireflies.
Palak: There are many things that you can do outside of the lab. But what I like the most is chilling in my room while watching some show, dancing to random songs, making mandalas (it brings so much serenity), going for night walks, exercising or probably having a small catch up session with my friends. It’s fun to hang out with them and listen to their gossip or have game nights with them.
[This October newsletter was originally sent out to Development’s journal news mailing list. This edition features, amongst other items, news of our upcoming celebratory conference and an update from our Pathway to Independence programme.]
Biologists @ 100
2025 marks 100 years since the founding of our publisher, The Company of Biologists. To mark this occasion, we are excited to invite you to The Company of Biologists’ 100-year anniversary conference Biologists @ 100, which will take place 24-27 March 2025 in Liverpool, UK.
The conference will bring together a range of scientists in developmental biology, cell biology, comparative physiology and disease biology. It will incorporate the 2025 Spring Meeting of the British Society for Developmental Biology, alongside other scientific strands, and plenary sessions that cover topics of importance to the whole biological community. The cell and developmental biology strand includes a list of outstanding speakers, including Development’s former Editor-in-Chief Olivier Pourquié.
To find out more, read this Node post by Development’s Reviews Editor Alex Eve and visit the conference website, from where you can now register for the meeting. Our community site the Node is also looking for a meeting reporter for this exciting event.
You’ll be hearing much more about how the Company has evolved over the past century, and our perspective for the future, throughout the course of next year.
Pathway to Independence programme
Last month, we were delighted to welcome our 2024 cohort of ‘Pathway to Independence’ (PI) fellows to our office in Cambridge for a three-day meeting – a key part of the support we’re providing them over the course of this year.
During this time, each fellow had the opportunity to present their ‘research vision’ to the rest of the group, as well as to some of last year’s PI fellows and the Development in-house team, and to gather feedback on how best to articulate their future research plans. This was followed by a two-day leadership training course run by hfp consulting, described by one of our fellows as “a very positive, enriching and informative experience that allowed me to learn tools and tricks I will be able to use in all spheres of my life”. We’re delighted to be supporting these talented postdocs as they apply for independent positions, and hope to grow this network of young leaders in the developmental biology field in coming years – look out for an announcement about the next call for applications later this year.
Find out more about our PI fellows’ research interests and thoughts on the future of the field in this Perspective article.
The 2024 cohort of PI Fellows visited The Company of Biologists office in September.
Special issues
Our 2024 special issue, Uncovering Developmental Diversity, is now being finalised and will be complete by the end of this month. Featuring over 30 different species, and covering topics ranging from axis determination in kelp to body size plasticity in sea anemones, this issue showcases some of the cutting edge research now possible in non-classical experimental systems.
Do also look out for the upcoming formal announcement of our 2025 special issue on ‘Lifelong Development: the Maintenance, Regeneration and Plasticity of Tissues’.
Featuring Alice Roberts, Professor of Public Engagement at the University of Birmingham, and a host of researchers working across the spectrum of the developmental biology field, we hope this video will help to promote our field and inspire the next generation of developmental biologists.
Available in both full-length and short versions, we invite you to watch, enjoy and – most importantly – share these movies.
The Forest of Biologists
By publishing in one of the journals of The Company of Biologists, you not only contribute to science, but you also directly contribute to the natural world. For each published Research or Review article, we plant a tree in The Forest of Biologists. And to acknowledge our peer reviewers, for each completed peer review we protect a tree in an ancient woodland. Since the launch of this project we have already planted over 2,000 new trees and protected 6,667 existing trees. Visit our virtual forest to check out your tree, or to read more about our forests.
The Company of Biologists’ Grants and Workshops: upcoming deadlines
Heterotypic interaction promotes asymmetric division of human hematopoietic progenitors Manuel Théry, Stéphane Brunet and colleagues Use of microfabricated niches reveals that interactions between human hematopoietic progenitors and stromal cells promote asymmetric division of progenitors and boost siblings’ heterogeneity, thus contributing to the plasticity of the early steps of hematopoiesis.
Sign up to Development’s email alerts (such as table of contents alerts) and the journal’s newsletter, to keep up to date on news, including special issues, calls for papers, content highlights/updates, journal meetings and more.
As an 8th year graduate student of a diverse background, my experience in academia has consisted of hurdles, setbacks, and emotional and mental rollercoasters. My journey to climb this career ladder altogether was difficult but there were doors opened and opportunities offered to me so that I was able to progress. Many of my struggles – and those of other students in graduate school – arise from the systemic flaws of the graduate program at large that often leave students with no support or recourse during their graduate career.
The diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) office exists to attract diverse students who are often from marginalized groups and provide them with some support while they are enrolled. However, scholastic DEI efforts in general often lack proper resources and are riddled with deterring bureaucracy. Students who come from marginalized backgrounds are typically left to navigate an arduous academic program that was not built for them to thrive and succeed. Despite the limitations of current DEI efforts, students still have an avenue to seek help and resources. But now, there is a grave risk of DEI offices being scrapped in academic institutions as it has become a hot-button issue in the current political climate. According to an article published by NBC News in March 2024, at least 30 states have either introduced, passed at least in one chamber, or fully enacted anti-DEI legislations that deter DEI efforts in institutions receiving state funding. As a result, these institutions are forced to either abolish their DEI policies and work, or risk losing state funding.
Many of us have personally seen far too many under-represented students struggle in graduate schools and eventually are either gently advised to master out of PhD programs, or blatantly forced to quit altogether. In her article in Botany One, Claire Mauss quoted the United States National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) report that only 19% of the total of over 1 million doctorate and master’s degrees conferred in the 2018-2019 academic year were awarded to under-represented minority students. This number does not include those who are from lower income backgrounds. Although institutions are now focusing more on recruiting diverse trainees and researchers, they are then challenged with retaining these workers.
Establishing a DEI office in academic institutions was meant to somewhat combat the issues at hand. While the DEI office has helped many students progress through their program, it is far from perfect. Delving deeper, having DEI efforts or not, the issue with the American graduate program has persisted for decades where exploitation of students is a common practice. Many graduate programs have little to no workers’ protections for their graduate students. For instance, reports of Title IX, discrimination, and abuse misconduct by graduate students often go through a series of internal investigations that do not necessarily provide justice for them. This frequently leads students to lose trust in the system, leaving them feeling sidelined and compelled to accept their circumstances without reporting. Moreover, the start of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has pushed so many workers, including graduate student workers, to organize and unionize to demand fair wages and better protections as student workers. With the heightened attacks and changes on Title IX and DEI, it is perhaps time for all students and trainees to come together as a collective to protect each other. The onus might be on academic institutions to protect and improve the current policies in place that encourage the diverse, equal, and inclusive workplace settings, however, we as trainees must also galvanize our efforts in pursuing other avenues to improve our working experience in academic research so that we can pave a better road for future diverse trainees to excel in this field.
Each year, the British and US societies for Developmental Biology have their annual meeting, the BSDB meeting is usually in April, the SDB meeting in July. The winner of the student poster prize in each of the meetings gets the chance to go to the other society’s meeting the following year. From 2012 – 2017, the Node got the winners together for an interview chain, and the tradition is now revived here with SDB 2023’s poster prize winner Corie Owen and BSDB’s 2024 poster prize winner Tamina Lebek.
Can you introduce yourselves?
Tamina: I’m Tamina Lebek, a 4th year PhD student in the lab of Sally Lowell lab at the Institute of Regeneration and Repair (IRR) at the University of Edinburgh.
Corie: I’m Corie Owen, a postdoc in Laurinda Jaffe’s lab at UConn Health Center in Connecticut, USA.
Tamin Lebek (left) and Corie Owen (right)
Tamina, congrats on winning the BSDB student poster prize! What was your poster about?
Thank you! My poster was about my PhD work where I developed a new neighbour-labelling system called PUFFFIN to look at how cells communicate with each other. During the final year of my PhD, I used PUFFFIN to investigate mouse embryonic stem cells exiting naïve pluripotency and if they adjust the pace of differentiation to their neighbours.
Tamina, what is the story behind the acronym PUFFFIN?
The acronym stands for Positive Ultra-bright Fluorescent Fusion For Identifying Neighbours because that is what it is and what it does, but the story behind the name actually goes further back. A couple of years ago I saw a post on social media about a repopulation project for puffins on the east coast of the US where they put wooden decoys that look like puffins on smaller islands and because puffin are such social birds they would start nesting there, too, because the decoys suggest it was a safe breeding ground. And the post claimed that the puffins started standing on one leg rather than two as this is what the decoys were doing, being fastened to rocks on a single rod. And I used this as an introductory slide for a talk at our institute to highlight where neighbour labelling would be handy if you wanted to research whether puffins that were close to a decoy are more likely to stand on one leg than those who had not met a decoy. This analogy received great laughs, so Sally started a little competition to come up with an acronym that would make me rename my system to puffin and that was a great success.
Humbled and grateful to @_BSDB_ for awarding me the prestigious poster prize at #BSDBGenSoc2024! Presenting our latest PUFFFIN advances and organising ECR events has been a joy. Huge thanks to the committee and the Lowell lab for their support! pic.twitter.com/u24LTLoTlI
Corie, congrats on winning the SDB poster prize! What was your poster about?
Thank you! My poster was about my PhD work as well. We developed a mouse with a hemagluttinin (HA) tag on the endogenous luteinizing hormone receptor, which allowed us to localize cells that expressed the receptor for the first time. Using this mouse, I discovered that granulosa cells in the preovulatory follicle migrate into the interior of the follicle in response to luteinizing hormone. I also characterized structural changes that occur in the preovulatory follicle in the time leading to ovulation that could occur in part due to the migration.
Corie, you get to go to the 2024 BSDB meeting as a poster prize recipient. How was your experience at the meeting? (And what’s the story behind the signed SDB hat??)
It was wonderful! It’s a much smaller meeting than SDB, so it was nice to see great science but also be in an intimate setting. And I loved England – cannot wait to plan another trip back. The hat came from SDB President Ken Cho! He decided that all the award winners needed something more than just a certificate, so he went and bought everyone a prize the night before. I can’t remember what any of the others were, but mine was a white baseball hat signed by some incredible names in developmental biology. They joked that I should bring it with me to BSDB, so naturally it had to make the trip with me!
Tamina, how was your experience at the BSDB meeting?
I just love the BSDB meetings. They are the perfect size, big enough that you can meet so many interesting researchers, and small enough that you get the chance to actually talk to them. There is always an inspiring and varied selection of talks and the party at the end is splendid!
Tamina, what advice would you give students at the early stages of their PhD?
Take every opportunity to present your research, especially in front of an audience with diverse scientific background – someone might have an idea that will bring you a major step forward in your project. Also, think twice about method development as a PhD project.
What would you say is the single experiment or finding that you are most proud of?
Tamina: I spend so much time designing and optimising the system that really the key experiment for me was when we did the flow cytometry (first figure in the paper) that showed us that the system finally works – even better than we expected. I had a brilliant honours student with me at the time and I kept asking her if she can see that too, or if I’m dreaming.
Corie: The finding I am most proud of is the interior migration of the luteinizing hormone receptor expressing cells. It was a total fluke – I was hoping to visualize endocytosis of the receptor after LH stimulation. Instead, I saw that the cells themselves were completely displaced. I had to look at quite a few samples before I ever believed it.
What is your favourite technique?
Tamina: Definitely flow cytometry. So many things you can do with it, and you can get so much data for comparably small effort. My fascination for flow cytometry was also heavily influenced by the head of our facility who is such a great person.
Corie: Confocal microscopy, 100%. I am quite a visual learner and visual person, so being able to see the changes through microscopy is an incredible experience for me. And the images are beautiful!
What is next for you/ What are you currently working on?
Tamina: I still have plenty of ideas for developing PUFFFIN further but at the moment I’m enjoying finally using the system for investigating biological questions. This is also driven by our amazing collaborations – we are hoping to build a PUFFFIN Zoo with neighbour labelling in many different model systems like chick, mouse, drosophila, zebrafish, and xenopus.
Corie: I’m currently working as a postdoc in the same lab I did my PhD in. While my dissertation focused heavily on the granulosa cells that expressed the LH receptor, I became quite interested in other cell types that express the receptor within the ovary. I’m looking forward to exploring those more and trying to understand how they might contribute to female fertility.
In this SciArt profile, we meet Menelia Vasilopoulou Kampitsi, who studied functional morphology during her PhD and is now working part-time as a scientific illustrator. Menelia takes inspiration from impressionism, the Bauhaus movement, and surrealism, and employs a variety of techniques to create her artwork.
“Femoral pores on the inner thighs of a male lacertid lizard”. Published in: Baeckens S. (2019). Evolution of animal chemical communication: Insights from non-model species and phylogenetic comparative methods. Belgian Journal of Zoology. 149, 63–93.
Can you tell us about your background and what you work on now?
My academic background began in the fields of organismal biology and ecology, which I studied between Greece and France. I later pursued a doctorate in functional morphology at the FunMorph Lab of the Univeristy of Antwerp in Belgium. It was during my PhD that I recognized the importance of illustration as a tool for communicating complex scientific concepts, both to the academic community and the general public. Toward the end of my doctoral studies, I had the opportunity to take a scientific illustration course in Spain—my first formal step into the world of scientific illustration. Since transitioning to freelance work in 2020, I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating on a variety of projects with PhD students, veterinarians, and researchers.
Over the past few months, I’ve had the chance of collaborating with a team of veterinarians, contributing illustrations to a new book on the psychiatric aspects of cats. This project, so far, has been a learning experience, combining my love for art with a deeper understanding of the behavioral complexities of cats. I will still be working for this project until the end of the year. This opportunity follows a previous collaboration with the same team, where I illustrated a book on canine psychiatry. The original French edition of the first book was published in 2023 by NoLedge Editions, with the English version being released by Springer Nature in 2024.
Aside from this project, I accept commissions from other clients on a wide range of topics, each one presenting new challenges and artistic explorations.
At the same time I work part-time as an imaging specialist for Twinsight, a company based in Grenoble in France, aiming to personalise and improve surgical care.
“The equilibrium of the HAT (Head+Arm+Trunk) during bipedal walking in baboons”. Published in: Druelle, F., Abourachid, A., Vasilopoulou-Kampitsi, M., Aerts, P. (2023). Convergence of Bipedal Locomotion: Why Walk or Run on Only Two Legs. In: Bels, V.L., Russell, A.P. (eds) Convergent Evolution. Fascinating Life Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11441-0_14
Were you always going to be a scientist?
I’ve always felt a deep connection to nature, particularly animals and life itself. This connection and interest led me to choose biology as my first choice for my academic years. However, I never imagined during my early studies that I would eventually have the strength to go on to earn a PhD. It wasn’t a planned destination but I am very happy to have followed this path. It was a unique experience in the world of science.
“World map showing the distribution of current non-human great apes”. Published in: Archaéologia, No627, January 2024
And what about art – have you always enjoyed it?
Art was always a close second in my passions, even though I pursued it more as a personal exploration during my free time. I always enjoyed drawing and painting, with a particular focus on colors and forms. It wasn’t until later, after my studies, travels, and collaborations with fellow researchers, that naturalistic illustration became a part of my life. My work in science truly deepened my appreciation for the beauty of nature, and that’s when art and science naturally converged for me.
“Andrena gravida illustration” – digital illustration – personal project
What or who are your most important artistic influences?
Art museums have always been a source of inspiration for me. Over the years, I’ve explored many different artistic movements and eras, each offering different input to my artistic creations. My influences are a blend of several distinct styles—impressionism, the Bauhaus movement, and my personal favorite, surrealism. I have a deep admiration for the Bauhaus movement, particularly in its exploration of geometric forms and harmonic color combinations. To me, this approach is directly linked to the art we find in nature, where structure and color coexist in harmony.
I also find great inspiration in the naturalistic illustrators of the past, such as Ernst Haeckel. I like traditional techniques such as graphite and watercolor, that were mostly used to create illustrations long before the digital era.
“Compilation of animal species” – aquarelle on paper – commission
How do you make your art?
I use a variety of techniques in my artwork, depending on the preferences of the client. For book illustrations, I typically work with digital tools like Procreate, as these projects are long-term and require a significant amount of detailed work and multiple corrections. For shorter commissions, I often use traditional mediums like watercolor, pencil, or ink, watercolor being especially popular with clients. Personally, I enjoy working with pencil for black-and-white drawings, as well as oil paints for my personal pieces.
Regardless of the medium, my process always begins with an overall study of the subject in order to choose which aspects of its nature need to be emphasized. Once I have a clear vision, I create the initial sketch in graphite. From there, I build upon the drawing working in layers to bring out the depth and texture of the final piece.
“Pogona henrylawsoni” – aquarelle on paper – commission
“Papio anubis” – aquarelle on paper – commission
Does your science influence your art at all, or are they separate worlds?
Science has been a significant part of my life for many years, and it has undeniably influenced my art. The projects I’ve worked on, along with the methods of thinking, working, and experimenting in scientific research, have shaped my approach to drawing and expanded my imagination. However, although I often create naturalistic illustrations, I also enjoy exploring other subjects, such as emotions and surrealistic art.
What are you thinking of working on next?
I have several commissions lined up for later this fall and am always open to new collaborations. Since work in this field doesn’t come in regularly, I’m managing it part-time to balance my commitments. I would really love to, one day, expand my creations to the field of ceramics creating sculptures or other artistic objects that express my view of nature using the most natural material, clay.
“Papio anubis hind limb muskuloskeletal system” – digital illustration – comission
How/ where can people find more about you?
You can explore my latest illustration projects on both my website and Instagram, where I regularly update my portfolio. While my website shows a selection of projects, I use Instagram to provide a deeper look into my process and short commissions. There, I talk about techniques and tools I use, and offer followers a sneak peek at my latest creations.
The next webinar in the FocalPlane features… series focuses on the important topic of reproducibility when acquiring, analysing and presenting imaging data. We are delighted to have talks from Helena Jambor and Kota Miura, who are both part of the QUAREP-LiMi (Quality Assessment and Reproducibility for Instruments and Images in Light Microscopy) community group, which aims to improve both quality assessment and quality control in microscopy. Helena’s talk will cover the community checklists for publishing images, which were developed by QUAREP-LiMi and published at the end of 2023, as she tells us ‘How not to lie with image data’. Kota’s talk will focus on bioimage analysis and the importance of reproducible analysis in ensuring scientific integrity.
At the speakers’ discretion, the webinar will be recorded for viewing on demand. To see the other webinars scheduled in our series, and to catch up on previous talks, please visit: thenode.biologists.com/devpres
When I began my PhD in 2020, I imagined my daily work would revolve around experiments, scientific writing, giving talks, and mentoring students. Little did I know that I’d soon be part of something quite different—a science documentary. I had the opportunity to collaborate with a team of scientists from the British Society for Developmental Biology (BSDB)and The Company of Biologists to create a film to promote UK developmental biology. As someone with no filmmaking experience, it was an exciting and daunting challenge. It was sure to be a steep learning curve full of science and fun.
We started by mapping our vision for the documentary. In film language, this included creating a film brief and storyboards. The storyboards laid out how each section of the documentary would unfold. We all pitched in with topic ideas, witling it down to four which would form our film vignettes: morphogenesis, cell migration, human brain development, and eye development. While it was hard to imagine at first how these ideas would translate into a polished documentary, we trusted the process. A crucial step in this was selecting a film production company. We wanted a collaborative team that could provide creative input whilst ensuring scientific accuracy. Fortunately, we teamed up with Cambridge Filmworks, who made the entire experience memorable.
My initial role in the documentary was to be an extra brain in the planning process. Especially since we were aiming to target a broad audience, including younger students. When the idea arose for me to help present the documentary, I couldn’t resist the opportunity. Despite my lack of on-camera experience, I’m passionate about science communication and developmental biology. The chance to work alongside brilliant scientists and collaborate with TV presenter and author Alice Roberts, who agreed to introduce and close the film, made the opportunity even more exciting.
Once we had our team of scientists and presenters on board, we focused on writing the script and drafting interview questions. The scientific team took the lead on script writing to give the documentary structure and direction. The script was then refined between our team and Cambridge Filmworks over numerous meetings and edits. This collaboration ensured that we included the relevant scientific information in a way that would be understood and be engaging to our audience. We also formulated questions which the scientists would answer throughout the documentary. The interview questions were designed to guide the scientists’ responses, keeping the flow natural and engaging. In most cases, multiple responses were filmed so that there were alternative options during the film editing process. We also had to ensure that the answers would be understood by a broad audience. With our scientific planning team and the filming team overlooking the filming, mistakes and jargon could be identified and corrected in the retakes.
Filming was an entirely new experience for me. On the first day, I learned what B-roll was and found myself awkwardly trying to walk naturally for the camera—it felt a bit robotic at first. As time progressed, I became much more confident and relaxed. I also watched Alice Roberts in action and took away some tips and tricks. During the latter stages of filming, I was recording voice over and performing solo pieces to camera, so I was thankful for the days leading up to this to hone the skills of presenting.
The main aim of the documentary is to showcase the wonder, importance, and applications of developmental biology. With that in mind, we invited a team of scientists who fitted into the selected vignettes. Helen Weavers kick starts the morphogenesis vignette by discussing her work on wound repair in fruit flies (Drosophila). Shankar Srinivas and Emily Noel follow with insights into how a small cluster of cells transforms into the complex, functioning heart. Tom Bennett rounds off the vignette by discussing plant development, offering a fascinating comparison between plant and animal development.
Behind the scenes of Courtney, this post’s author (left), speaking to Helen Weavers (right).
Next, the documentary explores neural crest cells, chosen for their remarkable migration abilities and their capacity to differentiate into a wide range of cell types. Karen Liu talks about the origin and migration of neural crest cells. We then have Elena Scarpa who brings a mechanical angle to the topic and highlights neural crest cell derived cancers.
In our vignette on human brain development, Katie Long explains how the brain folds during embryonic development and the differences between identical twins’ brains. My identical twin, Chloe Lancaster, joined the documentary to add a real-life twinning element. Laura Pellegrini discusses brain evolution and expresses her fascination for understanding the uniqueness of human brain development. She also introduces the audience to organoids and highlights their valuable contribution to understanding human development.
Finally, we dive into eye development with Pete Coffey and Rodrigo Young. Pete talks about his lab’s contribution to the treatment of eye diseases. His team has managed to surgically replace cells in the back of the eye with lab grown cells which enabled a patient to regain sight. He was taking a patch of cells to a patient on the day of filming which he was very excited about! Rodrigo delves into eye development with a key element being how two eyes of the same size and shape develop independently from each other.
What surprised me most during the filming process was how naturally the scientists adapted to the camera, despite not being accustomed to it. It turns out that all those conference presentations prepared them well for documentary interviews.
With the filming complete, it was time for Cambridge Filmworks to put the pieces together. Without being intimately involved in the editing, I can only say that this was some sort of self-organisation with constant feedback between the film editor and our team. We were also lucky enough to be invited to the Cambridge Studio to view the movie and provide feedback. It was surreal to see all the filming in a documentary for the first time.
I have been incredibly lucky to be involved in such a fun and exciting project with an incredible team of scientists and film creators. Brainstorming ideas and then seeing them in action during filming and editing was extremely rewarding, but the most valuable part of this experience has been all the people I met along the way. I interacted with scientists from all over the UK and picked their brains about different topics, science and career related. I might not have crossed paths with such inspiring people if I had not stepped out of the lab to embark on something completely different from my day-to-day scientific life. We also had a lot of fun along the way, laughing through retakes and mishaps.
I hope you enjoy watching the documentary as much as we enjoyed creating it. Please share it with your friends, family, and colleagues—let’s inspire the next generation of developmental biologists!
Film team: Adam Giles, Rich Millen, Barrie White, Douglas Murchie, Zheko Georgiev, Nigel Kinnings, Bronwyn Rand
Scientific planning team: Paul Martin, Shankar Srinivas, Katherine Brown, Rodrigo Young, Jeremy Green, Courtney Lancaster with help and funding from the BSDB and The Company of Biologists
Interviewees: Helen Weavers, Shankar Srinivas, Emily Noel, Tom Bennett, Karen Liu, Elena Scarpa, Katie Long, Laura Pellegrini, Pete Coffey, Rodrigo Young
Presenters + more: Alice Roberts, Courtney Lancaster, Chloe Lancaster
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