SYNTHETIC
DEVELOPMENTAL
BIOLOGY

We are an interdisciplinary research group at Yale University investigating how cells build tissues, organs, and organisms.

Multicellular organisms gain form and function during embryonic development; in vitro, stem cells can self-organize to build embryo-like structures (organoids).

We use organoids as ‘physics laboratories’ to study multicellular self-organization; we use synthetic biology to decode and control cell signaling interactions.

Our long-term goal is for synthetic developmental biology to enable a predictive understanding of, and control over, developmental programs.