Tissue Growth and Morphogenesis: from Genetics to Mechanics and Back (12w5048)

The Banff International Research Station will host the "Tissue Growth and Morphogenesis: from Genetics to Mechanics and Back" workshop from July 22nd to July 27th, 2012.

How organisms reach shape and size - where biology, physics and mathematics meet



Shape and size are characteristic traits of humans, animals and plants. How organisms achieve their final form and size has fascinated biologists for centuries. We now know that genes provide the blueprint for constructing each living organism. Yet, how this blueprint is executed during the development of an organism is still much of a mystery. Like shaping matter of the physical world, shaping the tissues and organs of developing embryos depends on their mechanical properties and the generation of forces. Recent technological advances now allow researchers to measure the mechanical properties of cells and developing embryos, and the forces generated. These exciting advances allow us, for the first time, to connect the genetic blueprint with the physical properties of cells, tissues, and embryos. This workshop will bring together leading scientists from different disciplines to present and discuss the most recent advances at the interfaces between developmental biology, physics and mathematics.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT).