Embryology: Methods & Concepts in Modern Developmental Biology

Abstract The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) has offered the Embryology Course for 130 years and has been playing an important role in the training of American developmental biologists. The six-week Course trains a diverse group of advanced pre- and postdoctoral students for research careers in developmental biology in the unique intellectual environment of the MBL, where hundreds of scientists come together to train in a variety of biomedically relevant fields, thereby providing ample opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaborations and discussions. The Course consists of a series of daily lectures, informal seminars, extended discussions, and intensive laboratory research experience that cover the paradigms, problems, and technologies of developmental biology cast within the comparative framework of animal evolution. The 24 students selected each year are committed to research and teaching careers in the field of developmental biology and are chosen from a consistently talented pool of diverse national and international applicants. Traditionally, a number of students from each year’s class later move into positions of leadership in the worldwide developmental biology community. The teaching faculty are senior/midcareer scientists in the field, who lead research modules in the course, or who give lectures and lead discussions of individual topics. Six one-week modules are staffed by two full-time Course Directors, three to four faculty instructors, outside lecturers, and course and teaching assistants. The themes of the modules change from year-to-year as important advances in the field occur. The course introduces students to a wide variety of embryonic systems including well- established models, such as fruit flies, nematodes, zebrafish, mouse, chickens, sea urchins, frogs, ascidians and planaria and emerging marine invertebrate models such as cnidarians, nemerteans, acoels, crustaceans, mollusks, annelids, hemichordates and ctenophores. This broad coverage allows for a comparative examination of developmental strategies and mechanisms that may provide new insights into the evolution of human related embryonic processes. Hands-on methodologies used to explore development involve surgical manipulation (cell ablation, tissue grafting) as well as molecular genetic tools (CRISPR/cas9, RNAi, electroporation) and cell biological approaches (genetic reporters to analyze cell lineage and migratory behavior). Students apply cutting-edge microscopy and imaging technologies (e.g., confocal imaging, light sheet microscopy, super-resolution microscopy and 3D time lapse) using state-of-the-art instrumentation, reagents, and methods. The curriculum covers molecular, genetic, cellular approaches to studying animal development, stem cell biology, regenerative biology, quantitative biophysical approaches, and genomics, all taught within a comparative framework of animal evolution. In support of the course, the MBL provides a unique learning environment, laboratory and support facilities, an animal collection facility, and one of the nation’s finest research libraries.