Prisca Liberali, Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research

Prisca Liberali

Design principles of tissue organization

Understanding the collective properties of multicellular systems and their patterns, including how such properties arise from single-cell behavior and their self-organization, is essential in order to elucidate fundamental biological processes, such as cell reprogramming and disease. 

In these systems, the roles and the molecular mechanisms of cell-to-cell variability in highly regulated cellular activities, like signal transduction, membrane trafficking and cytoskeleton dynamics have been poorly characterized. 

Our laboratory develops and applies experimental and theoretical frameworks for the study of cellular heterogeneity during collective cell behavior. We use high-content genetic perturbation screens with single-cell resolution combined with advanced quantitative imaging and single-cell modeling of stem cells in 2D culture and 3D self-organizing systems. One of these systems is the development of 3D intestinal organoids from single stem cells. 

This systems biology approach is used to unravel the determinants of pattern formation and to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the sources of cell-to-cell variability, and how this cell-to-cell variability affects the in vivo multicellular programming of cells.