I illustrated my way through the @bsdb.bsky.social Spring Meeting a couple weeks ago - here's my illustrated summary of the conference! I sketched (almost) all the speakers and glimpses of the science that made it such a great few days.

📢 #Preprint alert! 📢 In our lab's latest work, Afnan explores early patterning in the human forebrain using some really cool techniques. Make sure to check it out!

A ‘tour de force’! First description of human early telencephalon patterning & signalling centre dynamics, coupling transcriptomics & 4D gene expression imaging. ➡️ Human forebrain is distinct from mouse as soon at anterior neural plate closes. First @crick.ac.uk paper from @houartlab.bsky.social

Excited to share our new #preprint uncovering how early human forebrain is patterned. Compared to mouse, human dorsoventral and anteroposterior telencephalon patterning is strikingly delayed, which is correlated with SHH and FGF signalling differences. Read it here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

At the @bsdb.bsky.social conference, Corinne introduced the Marie Johansson Prize to honour our late, brilliant colleague. The award aims to celebrate outstanding early-career researchers. Huge congrats to @giulia-boezio.bsky.social for the award and a stellar presentation of your postdoc research!

We're so proud of our very own Richard for being awarded this fellowship! Onwards and upwards!

Can’t be happier seeing Richard starting this. His original angle to an old problem ( 😉) has great potential for success. Fascinating to see how findings in dev. neuro. leads to insights in age-related degenerative disorders! @houartlab.bsky.social @devneuro.bsky.social @kingsioppn.bsky.social

🚨Meet the latest early career researchers awarded Race Against Dementia Fellowships🚨 These rising stars are challenging old ideas and driving bold new approaches to speed up progress @RichardTaylor @sorayam.bsky.social @HelenRowland

Axonal pathfinding of zebrafish retinal ganglion cells forms the optic nerve. Credit to Dr. Matthew Bostock @houartlab.bsky.social. #ZebrafishZunday 🧪

What a day! Congrats to @danafd.bsky.social for great achievement. Big thanks to Sylvie Retaux & @jamesasharpe.bsky.social for very useful examination of thesis. Absolutely loved joint supervision w. Zena! Perfect @crick.ac.uk & @kingsioppn.bsky.social combo Dana’s day had a stiff competition 😉😉😉

Couldn’t be prouder of the first PhD graduate of the lab, super congrats @danafd.bsky.social 🙌🎓🌟. Such a pleasure to supervise you together with @cohouart.bsky.social @houartlab.bsky.social, the learning journey never ends 😌. Huge thanks to @jamesasharpe.bsky.social and Sylvie Retaux for examining 💥

How does foxg1 impact pineal gland development? What are the implications for FOXG1 syndrome? Lewis Hill, masters student, investigates this in #zebrafish. His image shows in-situ HCR + immuno in foxg1,Gal4;UAS,GFP zebrafish at 24hpf revealing foxg1 mRNA/protein with pineal markers aanat2 & exorh.

Human cortical neurons growing in a dish, with their signal-receiving structures - dendrites - coloured in green by Richard Taylor. Richard explores how translation of mRNAs into proteins is regulated in dendrites and whether disruptions in this process in dementia contribute to their degeneration.

Human cortical neurons growing in a dish, with their signal-receiving structures - dendrites - coloured in green by Richard Taylor. Richard explores how translation of mRNAs into proteins is regulated in dendrites and whether disruptions in this process in dementia contribute to their degeneration.

This week, post-doc Katie Adamson shares an incredible image of a #zebrafish embryo forebrain at 24hpf with membrane labelled tbr2+ excitatory neurons. Just 24 hours post fertilisation, neuronal cell types are already being born and will come to form the forebrain of this magnificent beast.

This week, post-doc Katie Adamson shares an incredible image of a #zebrafish embryo forebrain at 24hpf with membrane labelled tbr2+ excitatory neurons. Just 24 hours post fertilisation, neuronal cell types are already being born and will come to form the forebrain of this magnificent beast.

Movie of the week - joined collab of @houartlab.bsky.social & Long lab @kingsioppn.bsky.social @devneuro.bsky.social @crick.ac.uk Joining cell identity to cell behaviour in human embryonic brain. Fascinating >10 days timelapse imaging by @gessicagoncalves.bsky.social A technical tour de force!

A 3D view of apical radial glia finding their way in the developing human cortex. A stunning video shared by @gessicagoncalves.bsky.social who cultures organotypic cortical slices to study cell dynamics during human cortex development.

Do tissue material properties impact morphogen transport? Yes! And morphogens know it. Thanks to @nicolettapetridou.bsky.social who got us involved and to Bernat Corominas-Murtra, and kudos to @cami-autorino.bsky.social @dianakhorom.bsky.social and all the authors! 🧵 below if you are curious 👇

Amazing work by Afnan @stochastalive.bsky.social and our lab satellite colleagues @crick.ac.uk, comparing human vs mouse forebrain signalling centres & progenitor diversity in nascent embryonic telencephalon. Outcome of exploration soon on bioRxiv. @kingsioppn.bsky.social @devneuro.bsky.social

A look at the developing human embryonic forebrain in 3D! Post-doc @stochastalive.bsky.social shares this week's image showing a dorsal view of the human embryonic forebrain at Carnegie Stage 16 (~6 weeks post conception). Major regions marked by FOXG1, WNT8B, PAX6, and SHH are displayed.

Another week, another Houart lab image🔬 This week, it's a 3D image of a multiplex, in-situ of a chick forebrain by @danafd.bsky.social who studies early forebrain development in vertebrates & uses HCR to show the expression patterns of gene products instrumental in pallial/subpallial specification.

This week, Rachel Moore shares a gorgeous image from her #zebrafish neuron culture. In a dish, these neurons can grow long axons (magenta). If you look closely, you might be able to see some RNA splicing proteins (green) localised as small puncta along the axons.

This week, Rachel Moore shares a gorgeous image from her #zebrafish neuron culture. In a dish, these neurons can grow long axons (magenta). If you look closely, you might be able to see some RNA splicing proteins (green) localised as small puncta along the axons.

Experimental embryology postdoc available in my lab at the @biology.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk working on the evolution of vertebral counts. Reach out if you’re passionate about EvoDevo, enjoy lab work and microscopy and are into or could get into cichlid fishes. Deadline on the 16th June. Please share!

We are so proud of Triona, Stephania, Joao & Vicky for finishing the London Moonwalk for Marie Johansson, a dear member of our lab and the CDN, who lost her battle against breast cancer last June. Marie was a talented scientist and an exceptional colleague whom we miss terribly. Donate link below⬇️

This week's image is by @joseriveraz.bsky.social who's tracing the lineage of progenitors in the human developing cortex. Here, José shows the building blocks of the developing cortex at 10pcw with SOX2 (apical progenitors), CTIP2 & TBR1(neuronal markers), NESTIN (radial glial fibers), and DAPI.

It has been an absolute pleasure for our lab to attend #ECCN2025 for the first time this year. We had meaningful discussions and learned a lot from a vibrant community tackling tough questions on brain evolution and development! Super excited for what lies ahead!

Dkk genes dynamically expressed in the zebrafish nervous system, some in very discreet brain populations (watch this space for brain images). Malik Missaoui is using genetics to follow behaviour of endogenous proteins and crack their local functions. @mrc-cndd.bsky.social @kingsioppn.bsky.social

@houartlab.bsky.social first time at the comparative neuro conference. Fantastic #ECCN2025 meeting! The mix of ‘old’ and new technologies brings the field a new edge and the potential for new understanding of brain evolutionary mechanisms. Exciting!

Differences in neurogenesis across species appear since the earliest stages of development, as shows @cohouart.bsky.social #ECCN2025 @borrell-lab.bsky.social @k4tj4.bsky.social

🎣 Fishing for Dkk in #zebrafish 🎣 In the lab, PhD student Malik Misssaoui looks for the expression patterns of the dkk genes in zebrafish. Dkk proteins are modulators of wnt singalling, and changes in their expression levels have been linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers.

My lab’s weekly offering of beautiful images of amazing biology across species. This week is a #zebrafish ‘kiss and cross’ of the left and right first axons of the optic nerve. Let’s see what next week is preparing for us! @houartlab.bsky.social @kingsioppn.bsky.social @crick.ac.uk

The first retinal ganglion cell axons reaching each other in the formation of the optic nerves in a #zebrafish embryo! Image taken by @matthewbostock.bsky.social

Beautiful staining of the developing foetal cortex🤩. In her project, @gessicagoncalves.bsky.social in the lab is taking on the quest of exploring the cell dynamics of neuroprogenitors in the developing human cortex.

We've just wrapped up our annual lab retreat in Cornwall! A long weekend well spent engaging in scientific discussions, fun exploration of the Cornish countryside, and some delicious homemade cooking!

Hello, Bluesky! We're excited to join the academic community on this platform and engage discussions on #zebrafish research, #neuroscience, #EvoDevo, and more...