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Alejandro Torres-Sánchez

@torres-sanchez.bsky.social
609 followers 519 following 18 posts

Physicist trying to understand the behaviour of living organisms. Group leader at EMBL Barcelona.

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Reposted by Alejandro Torres-Sánchez
Development @dev-journal.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
An(other) interview with Rashmi Priya Read our second interview with @rashmi-priya.bsky.social, a Guest Editor for our special issue #DevSIextracellular, discussing the importance of interdisciplinary research in #DevBio and her experience curating the special issue. doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Rashmi Priya
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Development @dev-journal.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Break to build: fracture as a unifying morphogenetic strategy Read this Review from our special issue #DevSIextracellular by Daniel Santos-Oliván, @rashmi-priya.bsky.social, @torres-sanchez.bsky.social & co. journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
Five-panel schematic showing examples of tissue fracture in living systems. (A) In Trichoplax, movement builds local strain that leads to body fracture. (B) In sea anemones, pedal laceration leaves tissue fragments that adhere to the substrate and develop into new individuals. (C) In Hydra, tissue movements create a narrowing ("waist"), localised strain accumulates, and rupture produces fission. (D) In zebrafish embryos, mechanical tension generated by contact between tissues and actomyosin contraction drives rupture to form the nostril opening. (E) In the embryonic heart, repeated stretching causes fractures in the cardiac extracellular matrix (cECM), with damage concentrating in regions of high strain. Arrows indicate movement or pulling forces; red annotations highlight strain, rupture, or tissue fragments.
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EMBL @embl.org · 31/08/2026
Meet Daniel Santos Olivan, physicist who studies questions related to embryonic development and geometry. As AI reshapes research, Daniel’s recommendation for young scientists is to let themselves be guided by what they think is important, not by trends. www.embl.org/news/people-...
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Yanlan Mao @yanlanmao.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
This epic paper, which has been a heroic 10 year journey for the lead author, Ricardo Barrientos, is finally out in Cell today! Many thanks to all co-authors, especially Billie Meadowcroft and Andela Saric for their beautiful MD simulations www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...
cell.com
Basement membrane turnover controls cell shape
Basement membranes are scaffolds of proteins, like collagen, that give organs shape. During development, basement membranes must adapt to the growing organ. We infer how fast the basement membrane ada...
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Marina B. Cuenca @cuencam15.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Sad to be saying goodbye to Drosophila, but excited to get this work out on bioRxiv! If you are interested in the interplay of tissue flows and cool ways to mess them up, this read is for you :) Thanks to colleagues and co-authors! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
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Tom Golde @tomgolde.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
New paper in @natphys.nature.com! We uncovered a stress adapation mechanism where keratin intermediate filaments in stretched epithelia undergo a supracellular bundling transition that uncages the nucleus. www.nature.com/articles/s41... @ibecbarcelona.eu, @upc.edu @qmul.bsky.social
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EMBL @embl.org · 24/06/2026
Congratulations, Anna Erzberger! The EMBL Group Leader has received the Inaugural Suzanne Eaton ‘Rising Star’ Award for Physics of Life in 2026, presented by @poldresden.bsky.social. Learn more: www.embl.org/news/awards-...
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Lena Schindler @lena-schindler.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
I am thrilled to share my PhD work with @nicolettapetridou.bsky.social @embl.org: www.biorxiv.org/cgi/content/... A fun collaboration with Bernat Corominas-Murtra, Adrián Aguirre-Tamaral, @bart-smeets.bsky.social , Jef Vanghel and Tom Belpaire! Read the story in the comments below ⤵️
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Mike Dorrity @mwdorr.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
First pre-print from the lab, a collaborative effort led by Jess Bourn @bournsupremacy.bsky.social, a fantastic PhD in my group. We resolve a key problem in development + evolution: how do we quantify heterochrony and link temporal variation to phenotype? www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Quantitative mapping of heterochrony to species-specific phenotypes
The genetic program of animal development is conserved, but its rate of execution varies across species. Heterochrony, shifts in the relative timing of developmental events, generates phenotypic varia...
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Alison Kickuth @alisonkickuth.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
I am honoured to have received the Otto Hahn Medal! Thank you Jan @brugueslab.bsky.social, @ursa-ursic.bsky.social, Michael Staddon, @mpi-cbg.de, and @poldresden.bsky.social for your support during this scientific journey!
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James Briscoe @jamesbriscoe.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
Our latest: Minimal essential requirements for neural tube self-organisation How does a single cell give rise to a tissue with the right cell types in the right proportions? We deconstruct and rebuild a self-organising tissue from first principles A thread🧵 www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
biorxiv.org
Minimal essential requirements for neural tube self-organisation
The reliable generation of diverse cell types in precise proportions is essential for the formation of functional tissues during embryonic development. Three-dimensional organoid models derived from p...
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Nimesh Chahare @onenimesa.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
How does a relatively simple tube become a complex brain? 🧠 One of the most dramatic transformations in development! We built a framework to map exactly what changes. 🧵 New preprint from my postdoc at @nerurkar.bsky.social lab: doi.org/10.64898/202...
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Hiscock Lab @hiscocklab.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
🚨Job alert in theory/math devbio 🚨 I’m currently advertising postdoc positions to join my group. We’re building reaction-diffusion models to understand some of the amazing things embryos can do. We are based in a beautiful part of Scotland! Please share! www.abdn.ac.uk/jobs/vacanci...
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Nicoletta Petridou @nicolettapetridou.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Glad to see this out in its final form! www.nature.com/articles/s41... What changed since the preprint? Wonderful experiments disentangling the effect of receptor binding vs tissue porosity on Nodal diffusion, plus one of the smoothest review experiences! Thanks @natcellbio.nature.com & reviewers 🙏
nature.com
Tissue rigidity phase transition shapes morphogen gradients - Nature Cell Biology
Autorino et al. report a feedback loop between Nodal signalling and tissue phase transitions in zebrafish embryos. Nodal alters adhesion, triggering tissue rigidification and reduced porosity, which l...
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Turlier lab @turlierlab.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
A real computational tour de force by @ericneiva.bsky.social, carried out as Marie Skłodowska-Curie postdoctoral fellow in the team, now published in the Journal of Computational Physics: urlr.me/AuzK86 Congratulations, Eric! @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social Grateful to @ec.europa.eu for funding support
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Aissam Ikmi @aikmi.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Now published. Congrats to Soham and all co-authors! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/.... @embl.org
science.org
Science | AAAS
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Xavier Trepat @xaviertrepat.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
Our latest work on shape-programmable tissues is out in @science.org. By positioning topological defects in cellular nematics, we encode frustrated 2D force fields that relax into predictable 3D shapes. Collaboration with Marino Arroyo’s lab, led by @pauguillamat.bsky.social at @ibecbarcelona.eu.
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Pau Guillamat @pauguillamat.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
Just published in @science.org 🚀 By controlling how cells align, we show that living nematic tissues can be programmed to generate forces and fold into predictable 3D shapes. A new platform for tissue engineering and the design of smart active materials! 🫆 www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Science | AAAS
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EMBL @embl.org · 15/04/2026
Congratulations to Vikas Trivedi & collaborators for being awarded the HFSP grant! An international team coordinated by EMBL Barcelona researchers has been awarded $1.5M to study how developing organisms stay on track despite climate-driven temperature instability. www.embl.org/news/awards-...
embl.org
New funding to explore how embryos survive temperature stress in the era of climate change | EMBL
An international team coordinated by Vikas Trivedi at EMBL Barcelona has been awarded an HFSP grant worth $1.5 million (€1.3 M) to study how developing organisms stay on track despite climate-driven t...
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Amayra Hernández Vega @amayrahv.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
We are hiring! Come work with us in sunny Barcelona. We are looking for a Postdoctoral Researcher to study neuronal degeneration in Alzheimer’s Disease. Please help spread the word, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions. ibecbarcelona.eu/postdoctoral...
ibecbarcelona.eu
Postdoctoral Researcher at the Molecular Bionics Research Group (Neuronal Degeneration in Alzheimer’s Disease Project) - Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia
PR-AH // Deadline: 30/04/2026
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Kristina Stapornwongkul @kstapornwongkul.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
The @vbcscitraining.bsky.social is looking a PhD Program Manager! Needless to say this is an incredible important position. So please apply if you want to help us find, recruit and train the next generation of scientists! RT appreciated!
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Zebrafish Rock! @zebrafishrock.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Finished your PhD & looking for a Postdoc position? Intrigued by #zebrafish heart morphogenesis? Job available in the @rashmi-priya.bsky.social Lab at @crick.ac.uk (Initial 4 years funding w/ potential for 2 additional years)🐟❤️ More details: crick.wd3.myworkdayjobs.com/External/job... Please share 🧪
A black and white face-like image with large buggy eyes. In the middle there is a small heart-shaped structure with tendrils coloured in a variety of colours like purple, red and yellow. Credit description to Crick Institute.
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Kristina Stapornwongkul @kstapornwongkul.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
We’re looking for a new team member! 🚀 Only 3 more weeks to apply to the fantastic Vienna BioCenter PhD program
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Cell - a Cell Press journal @cp-cell.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Now online! Deciphering mechanical determinants of morphological evolution
dlvr.it
Deciphering mechanical determinants of morphological evolution
A comparative analysis of cnidarian larval morphogenesis combined with active surface theory identifies a set of mesoscale mechanical modules that predict species-specific shapes. Manipulating these modules reprograms morphology, revealing how variation in tissue-scale mechanics underlies morphological diversity.
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Aissam Ikmi @aikmi.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
Our study on shape diversity in cnidarians is now published. The final version includes extensive new data that substantially extend the original bioRxiv preprint. Congrats to everyone who contributed to this work! www.cell.com/cell/fulltex... @embl.org
cell.com
Deciphering mechanical determinants of morphological evolution
A comparative analysis of cnidarian larval morphogenesis combined with active surface theory identifies a set of mesoscale mechanical modules that predict species-specific shapes. Manipulating these m...
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Alex Eve @amjeve.uk · 13/03/2026
Planarians also reproduce asexually by fission – pulling their body in two & then regenerating the missing halves. Breaking occurs all over development; see this recent @dev-journal.bsky.social Review from @torres-sanchez.bsky.social, @rashmi-priya.bsky.social & colleagues: doi.org/10.1242/dev....
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Kristina Stapornwongkul @kstapornwongkul.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Are you fascinated by self-organised patterning processes? The brand-new Stuart lab at EMBL Barcelona is looking for a lab manager! Hannah @htstuart.bsky.social is a fantastic scientist and mentor. Building the lab with her will be a lot of fun! embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com/EMBL/job/Bar...
embl.wd103.myworkdayjobs.com
Lab Manager - Stuart Group
The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is one of the world’s leading life science research organisations. With sites across Europe, EMBL fosters an international, collaborative, and inclusiv...
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Katie Pickup @katiepickup.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Really interesting article about fracture in developing tissues. For a deep dive into examples across species, you can also check out @rashmi-priya.bsky.social and @torres-sanchez.bsky.social's recent Review in Development @dev-journal.bsky.social ⬇️ journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
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Quanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 02/03/2026
“In biology, breaking isn’t always a failure,” said the developmental biologist Rashmi Priya (right). “It’s often a necessary step in building something new.” www.quantamagazine.org/break-it-to-...
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epithelial mechanics fan club @epimechfc.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
We had covered the history of traction force microscopy (TFM) earlier: bsky.app/profile/epim... But what about applying TFM into more physiologically relevant systems, such as those in 3D? I am @barrasa-fano.bsky.social and I'll be your guide through this thread on #3DTractionForceMicroscopy.
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Quanta Magazine @quantamagazine.org · 27/02/2026
Sometimes, the only way to build back up is to let everything fall apart. This is certainly true at the cellular level. www.quantamagazine.org/break-it-to-...
quantamagazine.org
Break It To Make It: How Fracturing Sculpts Tissues and Organs | Quanta Magazine
Growing tissues can crack, break, and dissociate to form structures that can later withstand immense forces.
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Leone Rossetti @leonerossetti.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Interested in a PhD in collective cell migration & mechanobiology? I'm looking to support a candidate applying for a fully funded UK/Home PhD. The project studies the biophysics of migrating cells, using force measurements & optogenetics, with collaborators in Japan. #mechanobiology #PhD eb4bm.org
eb4bm.org
Home - Engineering Biology For Biomedicine
Engineering Biology for Biomedicine A UKRI:BBSRC Centre for doctoral training Why EB4BM “ Our graduates bridge fundamental biological design principles with biomedical bottlenecks, delivering engineer...
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Carlos Pérez-González @cperez-gonzalez.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
I’m thrilled to share that I will join @gustaveroussy.fr as a Group Leader! Our objective: to understand how mechanochemical feedbacks regulate tumor dynamics and plasticity, with the overarching goal of bridging tissue mechanobiology and tumor pathophysiology using human organoids.
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Laura Rustarazo-Calvo @laura-rustarazo.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Excited to share our new review in @dev-journal.bsky.social on tissue phase transitions during development! @karengrace12.bsky.social @nicolettapetridou.bsky.social 🔗 doi.org/10.1242/dev....
doi.org
Tissue phase transitions in development: more than just mechanics
Summary: Tissue material phase transitions are classically thought to regulate tissue deformability. This Review emphasises their unexpected roles in directly influencing growth and patterning signall...
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EMBL @embl.org · 19/02/2026
Our cells are experts at navigating inherently noisy and complicated environments. EMBL researchers are using theoretical physics approaches to uncover fundamental principles behind how cells use complex information to self-organise. www.embl.org/news/science...
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Kristina Stapornwongkul @kstapornwongkul.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
We‘re looking for a motivated Master student to join our team! Do you want to optogenetically control metabolic activity to see how metabolism affects patterning and morphogenesis? 💡🧫🧬🔬 Then please apply! #optogenetics #metabolism #devbio #hESCs Please RT. Thank you!🙏
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Alejandro Torres-Sánchez @torres-sanchez.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Development builds... But it also breaks! Planarians split to reproduce. Hydra tears open a mouth. Embryos fracture to make cavities. Failure? No. Fracture is essential to development. Our new review on fracture physics and its uses in development: journals.biologists.com/dev/article/...
journals.biologists.com
Break to build: fracture as a unifying morphogenetic strategy
Summary: This Review presents mechanical fracture as a unifying morphogenetic strategy and describes how developmental systems actively exploit mechanical fracture to drive morphogenesis, reproduction...
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Doug Aoki 青木定夫 @nantanreikan.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
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Brugues Lab @brugueslab.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
Excited to share Alison's @alisonkickuth.bsky.social paper from the lab out in @nature.com this week! We uncovered how a mechanical ratchet mechanism drives cytokinesis in early #zebrafish embryos. Read more in this thread 🧵 and at www.nature.com/articles/s41... 🤩 @poldresden.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de
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Pierre-François Lenne @pflenne.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Interested in the biophysics of organoids? We just published a review in Dev Cell—take a look! dlvr.it/TPyTb8 #Organoids #Biophysics
dlvr.it
Biophysics of organoids
In this review, Weichselberger, Moore et al. discuss how physics-based approaches illuminate organoid development and homeostasis by integrating mechanical, chemical, and informational processes. They...
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Marco MILAN LAB @milanlab.bsky.social · 04/01/2026
elpais.com/ciencia/2026...
elpais.com
El pastelero que patentó una molécula contra el cáncer que se ha vendido por 7.000 millones de euros
El biólogo Eduard Batlle, criado en la pastelería de sus padres, es uno de los seis inventores del petosemtamab, un revolucionario tratamiento experimental contra los tumores
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Adam Rutherford @adamrutherford.bsky.social · 03/01/2026
Empire. Oil. Guyana.
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Development @dev-journal.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Transitions in development – an interview with Alejandro Torres-Sánchez We caught up with Alejandro @torres-sanchez.bsky.social from @embl.org Barcelona to talk about his path to becoming a group leader, ongoing collaborations and addressing gender imbalance in the lab. doi.org/10.1242/dev....
Picture of Alejandro in a blue t-shirt and dark wire-rimmed glasses, sitting in front of a laptop
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Guillaume Charras @gcharras.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
How does signalling control cortical tension? Using optogenetics and AFM, we show that myosin recruitment and cortical tension increase proportionally with RhoA signalling. More here: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... Super work by Pierre Bohec with Guillaume Salbreux and @dianakhorom.bsky.social
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Agathe Chaigne @agathechaigne.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
My lab is hiring a postdoc (ERC funded)! If you're interested, get in touch!
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Alejandro Torres-Sánchez @torres-sanchez.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
youtu.be/JUCs_JEl5bY?...
youtu.be
|Extrechinato y tu| Abrazado a la tristeza
YouTube video by XtremayDura
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EMBL @embl.org · 04/12/2025
Researchers at EMBL Barcelona have launched LimbNET, a new online platform that integrates computer modeling, experimental data, and 2D live simulations for limb development. www.embl.org/news/science...
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Maria Bernabeu @mariabernabeu.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
Come to Biomalpar xxii!!! We have an outstanding line up of speakers!!! It is a true honor to be an organizer of Biomalpar. It was the first conference I ever attended during my 2nd PhD year so it feels special. And don't miss the beautiful poster image from Hannah Fleckenstein!
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Wolfgang Huber @wkhuber.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Join EMBL's Interdisciplinary Postdoc Programme! 3 years funding, self-designed interdisciplinary project co-led between EMBL PI and PI in one of EMBL's actual, prospect or associate member states. In particular: AI&Theory, use mathem. models, physics principles and AI www.embl.org/about/info/p...
embl.org
EIPOD-LinC Fellowship Programme – Postdoctoral Programme
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epithelial mechanics fan club @epimechfc.bsky.social · 23/11/2025
It’s time to talk about epithelial geometry and cancer. How can the architecture of an epithelium affect how tumors will grow and spread? In this thread, @jorgealmagro.bsky.social
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