Prof Elena Seiradake

Molecular mechanisms in development and disease

My lab is interested in understanding how relatively few families of cell surface receptors mediate myriads of cell-to-cell communication events as they direct important biological functions in tissues. Given a limited size genome, it is unsurprising that the same protein families, and thus similar molecular mechanisms, operate in functionally different tissues. We use an integrative approach that combines structural biology, biochemistry, cell biology, and high-resolution imaging to understand the principles by which receptor complexes assemble, and how they trigger cell decisions in vivo. Our experimental pipelines are applicable to a range of biological questions and suited to integrative, collaborative work.

Website: http://seiradake.web.ox.ac.uk