Dissecting the cellular mechanics of contact inhibition of locomotion

Contact inhibition of locomotion (CIL), a process whereby migrating cells collide and repel each other, is critical during embryogenesis and is hypothesised to play a role in pathologies such as cancer. This phenomenon can be observed in vivo during the dispersal of embryonic Drosophila immune cells (macrophages), which require CIL for their developmental migrations in living embryos. The precise patterning of macrophage movement in Drosophila embryos is controlled by CIL. Dr Stramer aims to elucidate both the molecular and mechanical mechanisms regulating this process by exploiting a wide array of techniques available in this model system, such as live imaging and genetic manipulation.Knowledge and analytical techniques developed from these studies will be extrapolated to mammalian models of immune cell interactions to investigate the wider role of CIL in animal physiology.