Dr Isabel M Palacios

Isabel M Palacios
Lecturer of Cell Biology

Lecturer of Cell Biology
Deputy Director of Research Nanchang

School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences
Queen Mary University of London
07875 180237
palacioslabqmul.squarespace.com/research
Centre for Molecular Cell Biology
Centre for Brain and Behaviour
ORCID

Research

Drosophila, human organoids, human iPSCs, organogenesis, cell biophysics, cytoskeleton

Interests

For many years my lab has studied how cytoskeletons organise within their natural environment, and how this environment influences cellular and tissue self-organisation, which are questions that remain unanswered in the field of cell biophysics. We mainly use as a model system the powerful model animal Drosophila melanogaster (the fruit fly), which allows comprehensive genetic and biophysical approaches in a ‘whole organism’ context. We are now extending our studies towards understanding whether the same principles on how cytoskeletons function in vivo apply to human tissues, specifically during early brain development and neurogenesis. By combining in vivo, ex vivo and in vitro tissue biophysics and bioengineering, our team and collaborators aim to solve the contribution of the cytoskeletons and their associated proteins to cell function and epithelia architecture across species, aiding the understanding of how biomechanics contribute to morphogenesis in a broad range of epithelia.