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Davidson Lab

Lab Focus

Biomechanics of Morphogenesis: How the cytoskeleton, cell-adhesion, and extracellular matrix contribute to tissue mechanics and force generation during vertebrate morphogenesis. Microscopy and image analysis techniques including fluorescent RNA in situ, FRET, and high resolution time-lapse confocal imaging of live cells in tissues. Computer simulations of developing embryos.

Selected Publications

"Life Under Pressure: Dissection of Cross-Phyla Metazoan Responses to Extreme Hydrostatic Pressure Reveals Pressure-Protective Heat Shock Acclimation."
Corkins, M.E., Bhattad, A., Hao, T., Williams, N., Ford, M.P., Colin, S.P., Costello, J.H., & Davidson, L.A., 2026 bioRxiv

"StrainMapperJ: An Easy-to-Use Digital Image Correlation Toolkit for Exploring and Quantifying the Mechanics of Deforming Tissues"
Davidson, L.A., Anjum, S., Yang, J., & Masak, G. Results Probl Cell Differ, 78, 129-147, 2026. Springer Nature.

"Mechanical anisotropy and medio-apical force transmission shape cellular strain heterogeneity in epithelia. Development."
Yang, J., Dong, Y., Jones, C.B., Wang, Y., Merino, C.V., Stuckenholz, C., & Davidson, L.A.. Development. 2026. The Company of Biologists.

"Inferring active and passive mechanical drivers of epithelial convergent extension."
Anjum, S., Vijayraghavan, D., Fernandez-Gonzalez, R., Sutherland, A., & Davidson, L. bioRxiv 2025. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

"Viscoelasticity during development: What is it? and why should you care?"
Dong, Y., Maiti, S., & Davidson, L.A. Semin Cell Dev Biol, 175, 103655, 2025. Elsevier