I am currently working on mechanisms that control cells size and shape during development. These two parameters must be coordinated during growth and epithelial differentiation. Deregulation of coordination often leads to the formation of tumors, most cancer tumors having an epithelial origin. As model, we use ovarian follicular cells of Drosophila melanogaster. This somatic cell monolayer surrounds the germ cells that will grow up to give a fertilized egg by increasing size during its development. Follicular cells must follow the growth of underneath tissue without loosing their properties. For this work, the approaches used are primarily
genetic and confocal microscopy imaging.

A good analogy: When we are getting fat, how the skin “follows” the deformation without leaving holes and without leaving folds when we get slim.