One of my favorite findings is that pressure canalizes geometric variability. Although pillars begin with substantial differences in shape, sustained pressure-driven inflation drives them toward a common, straight configuration, revealing a physical mechanism for developmental robustness.

These geometric changes have consequences. The canals detect head rotation, and their geometry determines endolymph flow according to Poiseuille's law. Disrupting canal geometry impairs balance-related behavior. Look at the larvae on the right: they can't correct themselves after a startle!

We also identify the molecular mechanism that maintains this pressure. Wnt signaling preserves epithelial barrier integrity, allowing the otic vesicle to retain hydrostatic pressure. When Wnt signaling is disrupted, the barrier becomes compromised, pressure is lost, and pillar geometry is altered.

In the zebrafish inner ear (the otic vesicle), epithelial pillars form semicircular canals, whose geometry is essential for balance. With acute pressure perturbations and a physical model, we show that luminal pressure is mechanically coupled to pillar morphology.

Excited to share our latest! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... This was a highly collaborative endeavor– the best way to do science. We asked how a developing tissue achieves the right shape despite all the variability along the way. Short answer: Hydrostatic pressure. Read on for the long answer!

Our latest preprint! Into morphogenesis, Yap, ECM, signaling, vertex models, feedbacks/robustness? There is something here for everyone. We discovered a positive feedback loop that extends inner ear canals, and a built-in mechanism that shuts it down when morphogenesis is done. tinyurl.com/464wsjhd