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The Tetrad Developmental Biology Program
The interdepartmental and interdisciplinary Program in Developmental Biology was created in response to the need for trained investigators who can apply the techniques of modern molecular biology, genetics, cell biology, and immunology, in conjunction with the methods of classical experimental embryology, to solving the questions of how embryonic development and differentiation are achieved.
The faculty of the Developmental Biology Program is drawn from the following departments: Anatomy; Biochemistry & Biophysics; Microbiology; Neurological Surgery; Neurology; Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences; Opthalmology; Pediatrics; Pharmacology; Physiology; Psychiatry; and the Reproductive Endocrinology Center.
The participating research groups share an interest in understanding the basic mechanisms of embryonic development and differentiation. Studies of organisms as diverse as nematodes, fruit flies, frogs, chickens, zebrafish and mice are conducted using the wide variety of approaches, instruments, and techniques of modern biological research.
Developmental Biology Activities
The annual retreat is one of two major program activities. Held over a weekend at the Marconi Center on the northern California coast, the retreat provides an opportunity for program members to get together to discuss their work and also to hear a talk by an invited speaker from another institution. One or two members from each lab give a short talk on their current research. The presentations are made by faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and advanced students. There is also a poster session and social time available so that all attendees can participate and interact.
A second major program activity is a journal club/mini-symposium, which provides ongoing, focused discussion of a specific problem in developmental biology over the course of an academic year. At the beginning of the year program members choose a topic of interest, which is then discussed in depth in a series of journal club presentations by participating students and postdoctoral fellows. At the end of the year, a mini-symposium is held in which pre-eminent scientists from around the world are invited to present lectures on the topic. The flexible format allows students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty to participate to the extent of their interest in the subject area chosen. The symposia have been very successful, with high attendance both from UCSF and other Bay Area institutions.
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| Featured paper | | Synaptotagmin I is necessary for compensatory synaptic vesicle endocytosis in vivo
Davis Lab | | Download the pdf |
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Faculty
