Molecular mechanisms in the nervous and vascular systems
Specialised proteins are found at the surfaces of cells and direct their movements. They thereby guide the formation of complex tissues such as the neural and vascular networks. Understanding how these tissues form is important, because failure leads to developmental diseases and cancers. We use a range of cutting-edge techniques, especially X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy, cell biology assays, confocal and super resolution microscopy. Combining these techniques allows us to understand how cell guidance receptors function on the molecular, cellular and tissue levels.