Developmental Biology

Our lab focuses on the role of three-dimensional genome organization in regulating gene expression and shaping cell fate specification during development. We pursue this with advanced single-molecule imaging and transgenic techniques in Drosophila and mammalian cell culture.

Anne Villeneuve’s laboratory investigates the molecular and cellular events underlying the faithful inheritance of chromosomes during meiosis, the specialized cell division program by which diploid organisms generate haploid gametes. These events are crucial for reproduction, since failure to execute them correctly leads to aneuploidy, one of the leading causes of miscarriages and birth defects in humans.