Soft Matter Seminar: “From Genes to Geometry: Mapping the Mechanics and Dynamics of Gut Morphogenesis”

The Syracuse University Department of Physics Soft Matter group is pleased to welcome Dr. Noah Mitchell, Assistant Professor of Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology at the University of Chicago, for his talk titled, “From Genes to Geometry: mapping the mechanics and dynamics of gut morphogenesis.”

During morphogenesis, tissues integrate mechanical and biochemical signals to drive organ-scale geometric transformations. Understanding the dynamic interplay between genetic patterning, mechanical forces and tissue geometry requires a physical framework that connects cell interactions to tissue shape change. Inner organs such as the gut and heart begin as simple cellular sheets that transform into tubes, fold into chambers and coil into complex shapes. Here, I present our progress in uncovering the dynamics and mechanical forces behind tube formation, tissue folding and chiral coiling using the embryonic Drosophila midgut as a model system. By combining whole-organ live imaging with a computational toolkit for covariant measurement of tissue dynamics, we relate cellular behaviors to tissue-scale deformations. Integrating this approach with genetic and optogenetic perturbations reveals a key role for the mesoderm, including Hox-regulated calcium pulses that trigger muscle contractions and drive organ constrictions. I will discuss ongoing and future directions in decoding how muscle and epithelial tissue layers interact to generate complex organ shapes.