We recently collaborated with the Sowden lab at the Institute of Child Health, providing imaging expertise to study eye development. One of the figures generated in the course of that research has been selected as the cover figure of the journal Development. This figure shows delicate structures in the developing human eye including the lens and retina. The developing eye shares many cellular similarities with the closing neural tube.

A few years ago we reported that gene mutations which predispose to spina bifida independently diminish bone mass in mice. Now, in collaboration with Prof Philippa Francis-West at King’s College, we’ve completed a wide-ranging invited review of the mechanisms by which bone is made and shaped in the embryo. With over 350 references read and cited, it really is a behemoth of a review!

In it we define critical cellular behaviours which shape skeletal elements during fetal development and raise questions which need to be addressed in future studies. Read all about it here.