Cellular Interactions

Grosswendt Lab

Directing Cell Fate and Function

Cells communicate with their neighbors to shape gene expression and cellular decisions. Our team of wet lab and computational biologists aims to decode the language of cells by addressing four central questions:

1. Which cells are neighbors?
2. How do they communicate?
3. What are the consequences?
4. Can we build cell interactions?

To address these questions, we develop single-cell and spatial transcriptomics-based approaches to investigate how cells interact and influence one another. One area of research focuses on the cellular dialogues that instruct neural crest cells during mouse embryonic development. Furthermore, we develop strategies in complex in vitro systems and reconstruct interactions bottom-up. Ultimately, we aim to understand how cell interactions are organized and collectively instruct cells.