Alejo Torres
@alejotorrescano.bsky.social
Developmental Biologist. Postdoc at the Centre for Gene Therapy & Regenerative Medicine. King's College London.
Thrilled to see the work of my postdoc in the @labspagnoli.bsky.social finally published!
Many thanks to all the co-authors for all the help!
Many thanks to all the co-authors for all the help!
🚨 Check out our new paper is now online in its final version!!!
🎉 👏 Congratulations @alejotorrescano.bsky.social who led the study
+ past & current team @labspagnoli.bsky.social
+ collaborators #VigilanteLab @kingslsm.bsky.social
➡️ doi.org/10.1126/scia...
short 🧵 below & more acknowledgments ⤵️
🎉 👏 Congratulations @alejotorrescano.bsky.social who led the study
+ past & current team @labspagnoli.bsky.social
+ collaborators #VigilanteLab @kingslsm.bsky.social
➡️ doi.org/10.1126/scia...
short 🧵 below & more acknowledgments ⤵️
Spatially organized cellular communities shape functional tissue architecture in the pancreas
Spatial maps reveal dynamic epithelial-mesenchymal niches shaping pancreatic development and function.
doi.org
November 14, 2025 at 10:46 AM
Thrilled to see the work of my postdoc in the @labspagnoli.bsky.social finally published!
Many thanks to all the co-authors for all the help!
Many thanks to all the co-authors for all the help!
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Pathogenic Keratinocyte States and Fibroblast Niches Define the Tissue Microenvironment in Severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa #SingleCell 🧪🧬🖥️
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.11.682326v1
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.11.682326v1
November 13, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Pathogenic Keratinocyte States and Fibroblast Niches Define the Tissue Microenvironment in Severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa #SingleCell 🧪🧬🖥️
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.11.682326v1
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.11.682326v1
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Thrilled to share my main postdoc work with @jamesbriscoe.bsky.social
We used genomic barcoding + scRNAseq in chick & human embryos to reveal a lineage architecture that reshapes how we understand neural tube development & cell fate decisions
🧵👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We used genomic barcoding + scRNAseq in chick & human embryos to reveal a lineage architecture that reshapes how we understand neural tube development & cell fate decisions
🧵👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Hierarchical lineage architecture of human and avian spinal cord revealed by single-cell genomic barcoding
The formation of neural circuits depends on the precise spatial and temporal organisation of neuronal populations during development. In the vertebrate spinal cord, progenitors are patterned into mole...
www.biorxiv.org
October 26, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Thrilled to share my main postdoc work with @jamesbriscoe.bsky.social
We used genomic barcoding + scRNAseq in chick & human embryos to reveal a lineage architecture that reshapes how we understand neural tube development & cell fate decisions
🧵👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We used genomic barcoding + scRNAseq in chick & human embryos to reveal a lineage architecture that reshapes how we understand neural tube development & cell fate decisions
🧵👇
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Alejo Torres
New from the @heikolickert.bsky.social clan and great work from Carina together with all collaborators and the Theis lab to study pancreas development across species, bringing new insights into conserved pathways using multimodal computational analysis www.nature.com/articles/s41... #PancSky
A multimodal cross-species comparison of pancreas development - Nature Communications
This study establishes the pig as a complementary model for studying human pancreas development. It shows pigs mimic human developmental tempo, gene regulation, and endocrine cell emergence, offering ...
www.nature.com
October 23, 2025 at 7:03 PM
New from the @heikolickert.bsky.social clan and great work from Carina together with all collaborators and the Theis lab to study pancreas development across species, bringing new insights into conserved pathways using multimodal computational analysis www.nature.com/articles/s41... #PancSky
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Happy to share a new tool from the @heikolickert.bsky.social lab!
We generated human iPSC fluorescent reporter lines to monitor Wnt/PCP signaling activity by Flattop in stem cell derived β-cells.
doi.org/10.1016/j.sc...
Thanks to all the co-authors that helped in the present and the past!
We generated human iPSC fluorescent reporter lines to monitor Wnt/PCP signaling activity by Flattop in stem cell derived β-cells.
doi.org/10.1016/j.sc...
Thanks to all the co-authors that helped in the present and the past!
Redirecting
doi.org
September 26, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Happy to share a new tool from the @heikolickert.bsky.social lab!
We generated human iPSC fluorescent reporter lines to monitor Wnt/PCP signaling activity by Flattop in stem cell derived β-cells.
doi.org/10.1016/j.sc...
Thanks to all the co-authors that helped in the present and the past!
We generated human iPSC fluorescent reporter lines to monitor Wnt/PCP signaling activity by Flattop in stem cell derived β-cells.
doi.org/10.1016/j.sc...
Thanks to all the co-authors that helped in the present and the past!
Reposted by Alejo Torres
I am absolutely delighted to share the invited speakers for our upcoming @bsdb.bsky.social "Molecules to Morphogenesis" meeting!
Registration and abstract submission is now open - join us!
bsdb.org/meetings/
March 23-26, 2026 - UK
Registration and abstract submission is now open - join us!
bsdb.org/meetings/
March 23-26, 2026 - UK
October 23, 2025 at 5:25 PM
I am absolutely delighted to share the invited speakers for our upcoming @bsdb.bsky.social "Molecules to Morphogenesis" meeting!
Registration and abstract submission is now open - join us!
bsdb.org/meetings/
March 23-26, 2026 - UK
Registration and abstract submission is now open - join us!
bsdb.org/meetings/
March 23-26, 2026 - UK
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Out @natcomms.nature.com:
our work on how the ❤️-supporting pericardium forms & acts in pediatric heart conditions.🎈🫀
Expanding our preprint & with our first HCR (thx to @thelovelylab.bsky.social!).
Congrats all! #devbio #zebrafish #CHD @cupediatrics.bsky.social @cudevbio.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eIJm5
our work on how the ❤️-supporting pericardium forms & acts in pediatric heart conditions.🎈🫀
Expanding our preprint & with our first HCR (thx to @thelovelylab.bsky.social!).
Congrats all! #devbio #zebrafish #CHD @cupediatrics.bsky.social @cudevbio.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eIJm5
September 30, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Out @natcomms.nature.com:
our work on how the ❤️-supporting pericardium forms & acts in pediatric heart conditions.🎈🫀
Expanding our preprint & with our first HCR (thx to @thelovelylab.bsky.social!).
Congrats all! #devbio #zebrafish #CHD @cupediatrics.bsky.social @cudevbio.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eIJm5
our work on how the ❤️-supporting pericardium forms & acts in pediatric heart conditions.🎈🫀
Expanding our preprint & with our first HCR (thx to @thelovelylab.bsky.social!).
Congrats all! #devbio #zebrafish #CHD @cupediatrics.bsky.social @cudevbio.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eIJm5
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Hot off the press!
Cell-type-specific functionality encoded within the intrinsically disordered regions of OCT4
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Cell-type-specific functionality encoded within the intrinsically disordered regions of OCT4
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Cell-type-specific functionality encoded within the intrinsically disordered regions of OCT4 - Nature Communications
Here they perform a systematic dissection of OCT4 and reveal how intrinsically disordered regions can be used to serve specific functions during reprogramming and embryonic development. This can be exploited to engineer more efficient and specific reprogramming factors.
www.nature.com
September 30, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Hot off the press!
Cell-type-specific functionality encoded within the intrinsically disordered regions of OCT4
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Cell-type-specific functionality encoded within the intrinsically disordered regions of OCT4
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Alejo Torres
How do #stemcells integrate information to coordinate fate decisions? Delighted to finally see our work showing how growth factors regulate the mechano-osmotic state of the #nucleus and #chromatin to control #pluripotency exit out! www.nature.com/articles/s41... see 🧵 👇
Mechano-osmotic signals control chromatin state and fate transitions in pluripotent stem cells - Nature Cell Biology
McCreery, Stubb et al. show that mechano-osmotic changes in the nucleus induce general transcriptional repression and prime chromatin for cell fate transitions by relieving repression of specific differentiation genes.
www.nature.com
September 29, 2025 at 4:45 PM
How do #stemcells integrate information to coordinate fate decisions? Delighted to finally see our work showing how growth factors regulate the mechano-osmotic state of the #nucleus and #chromatin to control #pluripotency exit out! www.nature.com/articles/s41... see 🧵 👇
Reposted by Alejo Torres
So proud of the exciting story from my PhD student Jakub Sumbal on contractile fibroblasts shaping branching morphogenesis!
Fantastic collaboration with the lab of Zuzana Koledova in Prague!
@sumbalovakoledova.bsky.social
It just came out online, check it out here:
rdcu.be/eIIKD
Fantastic collaboration with the lab of Zuzana Koledova in Prague!
@sumbalovakoledova.bsky.social
It just came out online, check it out here:
rdcu.be/eIIKD
Contractile fibroblasts form a transient niche for the branching mammary epithelium
Nature Communications - Fibroblasts represent a heterogenous cell population but how their differences reflect their plasticity and origin is not fully understood. Here, the authors map the origin...
rdcu.be
September 29, 2025 at 4:34 PM
So proud of the exciting story from my PhD student Jakub Sumbal on contractile fibroblasts shaping branching morphogenesis!
Fantastic collaboration with the lab of Zuzana Koledova in Prague!
@sumbalovakoledova.bsky.social
It just came out online, check it out here:
rdcu.be/eIIKD
Fantastic collaboration with the lab of Zuzana Koledova in Prague!
@sumbalovakoledova.bsky.social
It just came out online, check it out here:
rdcu.be/eIIKD
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Happy to share the Biodiversity Cell Atlas white paper, out today in @nature.com. We look at the possibilities, challenges, and potential impacts of molecularly mapping cells across the tree of life.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
September 24, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Happy to share the Biodiversity Cell Atlas white paper, out today in @nature.com. We look at the possibilities, challenges, and potential impacts of molecularly mapping cells across the tree of life.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Ever wondered how robust cellular identity is to external perturbations? Here we disrupt cellular environmnent in vivo and in vitro, and find cell population specific sensitivities. Environment sculpts development yes, but not all cells are made of the same wood. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Cell-extrinsic controls over neocortical neuron fate and diversity
Cell-extrinsic cues are key for neocortical cell identity and diversity.
www.science.org
September 19, 2025 at 6:04 AM
Ever wondered how robust cellular identity is to external perturbations? Here we disrupt cellular environmnent in vivo and in vitro, and find cell population specific sensitivities. Environment sculpts development yes, but not all cells are made of the same wood. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Alejo Torres
A multi-omics overview of perturbations in the #T1D pancreas at the single cell level #islets www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Single-cell multiome and spatial profiling reveals pancreas cell type–specific gene regulatory programs of type 1 diabetes progression
Pancreatic cell types show changes in gene regulation and activity associated with T1D progression and risk.
www.science.org
September 10, 2025 at 8:31 PM
A multi-omics overview of perturbations in the #T1D pancreas at the single cell level #islets www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Alejo Torres
1/7 Really happy to see my PhD work published in ✨Developmental Cell✨ today! We find human endoderm is specified by two developmental trajectories 🔀, and the choice between alternate routes is dictated by the combinatorial BMP4/Activin signalling. www.cell.com/developmenta...
Combinatorial BMP4 and activin direct the choice between alternate routes to endoderm in a stem cell model of human gastrulation
Inge et al. show that human endoderm originates from two converging developmental
routes with distinct dynamics and efficiencies yet similar developmental potential.
Combinatorial activin and BMP4 sig...
www.cell.com
September 9, 2025 at 8:01 PM
1/7 Really happy to see my PhD work published in ✨Developmental Cell✨ today! We find human endoderm is specified by two developmental trajectories 🔀, and the choice between alternate routes is dictated by the combinatorial BMP4/Activin signalling. www.cell.com/developmenta...
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Walking through the night for Cancer Research UK 🌙✨ Every step helps beat cancer 💜 Please support with a donation if you can 🙏💫
fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/rocios-...
fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/rocios-...
Rocio - Shine Night Walk
I am taking part in the Shine Walk in memory of my mother, who was my rock, the strongest guiding force in my life, who shaped who I am today and gave me the most powerful example to follow. She passe...
fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org
September 8, 2025 at 2:23 PM
Walking through the night for Cancer Research UK 🌙✨ Every step helps beat cancer 💜 Please support with a donation if you can 🙏💫
fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/rocios-...
fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/rocios-...
Reposted by Alejo Torres
🔬 Researchers at #IBEC record for the first time the real-time 3D implantation of a human embryo.
A major step forward in understanding fertility and improving assisted reproduction treatments.
👉 Published in @science.org #ScienceAdvances
🔗 Read the news: bit.ly/4oAHy0w
A major step forward in understanding fertility and improving assisted reproduction treatments.
👉 Published in @science.org #ScienceAdvances
🔗 Read the news: bit.ly/4oAHy0w
August 16, 2025 at 8:30 AM
🔬 Researchers at #IBEC record for the first time the real-time 3D implantation of a human embryo.
A major step forward in understanding fertility and improving assisted reproduction treatments.
👉 Published in @science.org #ScienceAdvances
🔗 Read the news: bit.ly/4oAHy0w
A major step forward in understanding fertility and improving assisted reproduction treatments.
👉 Published in @science.org #ScienceAdvances
🔗 Read the news: bit.ly/4oAHy0w
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Pathologists have used nuclear & tissue shapes to diagnose #cancer for decades, but what is the molecular basis for this? In our latest work, we develop a computational pipeline to figure this out in #colorectalcancer! Check out 🧵& preprint #mechanobiology #stemcells www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
August 15, 2025 at 10:50 AM
Pathologists have used nuclear & tissue shapes to diagnose #cancer for decades, but what is the molecular basis for this? In our latest work, we develop a computational pipeline to figure this out in #colorectalcancer! Check out 🧵& preprint #mechanobiology #stemcells www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Alejo Torres
12 examples of how developmental biology research led to fundamental discoveries for biomedical research. There are many more! Download ppt & jpg versions on @socdevbio.bsky.social website. Use & modify as needed. Poster formats are also posted to print & hang in your lab!
March 26, 2025 at 2:04 PM
12 examples of how developmental biology research led to fundamental discoveries for biomedical research. There are many more! Download ppt & jpg versions on @socdevbio.bsky.social website. Use & modify as needed. Poster formats are also posted to print & hang in your lab!
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Thrilled to bits to see our latest work online in Dev Cell! 🥳
We wanted to know how cells build functional organs with precision🫀🫁📏 Here we show how coupling of cell shape and organ function fine tunes the form and contractile power of the developing #zebrafish heart 1/n
tinyurl.com/cell-stretch
We wanted to know how cells build functional organs with precision🫀🫁📏 Here we show how coupling of cell shape and organ function fine tunes the form and contractile power of the developing #zebrafish heart 1/n
tinyurl.com/cell-stretch
Mechanochemical coupling of cell shape and organ function optimizes heart size and contractile efficiency in zebrafish
Andrews et al. demonstrate that multiscale feedback between mechanical and chemical
cues builds a functional heart to support zebrafish embryonic life. Cell recruitment
and organ-scale forces drive tr...
tinyurl.com
August 6, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Thrilled to bits to see our latest work online in Dev Cell! 🥳
We wanted to know how cells build functional organs with precision🫀🫁📏 Here we show how coupling of cell shape and organ function fine tunes the form and contractile power of the developing #zebrafish heart 1/n
tinyurl.com/cell-stretch
We wanted to know how cells build functional organs with precision🫀🫁📏 Here we show how coupling of cell shape and organ function fine tunes the form and contractile power of the developing #zebrafish heart 1/n
tinyurl.com/cell-stretch
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Dev biologists! 3-yr postdoc position at King's, collaboration with Trizzino lab @marcotrizzino.bsky.social modelling CHD3 neural crest. We are looking for postdocs with mad embryology skills @the-node.bsky.social #developmental @ccrb27.bsky.social
thenode.biologists.com/jobs/postdoc...
thenode.biologists.com/jobs/postdoc...
Postdoctoral Research Associate: Modelling Neural Crest Anomalies (mouse/human) - the Node
The Liu lab is looking for a postdoc with a love of embryos and developmental biology! This post is part of an MRC-funded collaboration between Karen Liu’s lab at King’s College London and Marco Trizz...
thenode.biologists.com
August 5, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Dev biologists! 3-yr postdoc position at King's, collaboration with Trizzino lab @marcotrizzino.bsky.social modelling CHD3 neural crest. We are looking for postdocs with mad embryology skills @the-node.bsky.social #developmental @ccrb27.bsky.social
thenode.biologists.com/jobs/postdoc...
thenode.biologists.com/jobs/postdoc...
Reposted by Alejo Torres
🆕🧪‼️
New lab preprint!
We study how germ cells (the cells that give rise to gametes, in this case sperm) are supported by somatic (non-germ) cells of the gonad. This matters for our understanding of reproduction - without germ cell development, animals are sterile.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
New lab preprint!
We study how germ cells (the cells that give rise to gametes, in this case sperm) are supported by somatic (non-germ) cells of the gonad. This matters for our understanding of reproduction - without germ cell development, animals are sterile.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Somatic cells compartmentalise their metabolism to sustain germ cell survival
To ensure success in reproduction, organisms dedicate substantial resources to supporting the germline. In testes, somatic gonadal cells form a barrier that isolates germ cells from circulating nutrie...
www.biorxiv.org
July 25, 2025 at 11:20 AM
🆕🧪‼️
New lab preprint!
We study how germ cells (the cells that give rise to gametes, in this case sperm) are supported by somatic (non-germ) cells of the gonad. This matters for our understanding of reproduction - without germ cell development, animals are sterile.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
New lab preprint!
We study how germ cells (the cells that give rise to gametes, in this case sperm) are supported by somatic (non-germ) cells of the gonad. This matters for our understanding of reproduction - without germ cell development, animals are sterile.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Excited to share our latest work with @jamesbriscoe.bsky.social .
A global #cis-regulatory temporal program guides how spatial cues are interpreted in neural progenitors. We show how #space and #time can be integrated to generate cell type diversity in the #spinalcord.
Congrats to all authors.
A global #cis-regulatory temporal program guides how spatial cues are interpreted in neural progenitors. We show how #space and #time can be integrated to generate cell type diversity in the #spinalcord.
Congrats to all authors.
A study from @crick.ac.uk and @ucllifesciences.bsky.social reveals how timing mechanisms, not just spatial cues, shape cell identity during spinal cord development. The findings open up new avenues for both basic developmental biology and clinical applications.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
The cis-regulatory logic integrating spatial and temporal patterning in the vertebrate neural tube
The vertebrate neural tube generates a large diversity of molecularly and functionally distinct neurons and glia from a small progenitor pool. While t…
www.sciencedirect.com
July 21, 2025 at 10:18 AM
Excited to share our latest work with @jamesbriscoe.bsky.social .
A global #cis-regulatory temporal program guides how spatial cues are interpreted in neural progenitors. We show how #space and #time can be integrated to generate cell type diversity in the #spinalcord.
Congrats to all authors.
A global #cis-regulatory temporal program guides how spatial cues are interpreted in neural progenitors. We show how #space and #time can be integrated to generate cell type diversity in the #spinalcord.
Congrats to all authors.
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Measuring properties of individual cells in relation to their neighbors in 3D tissues is challenging. @cellysally.bsky.social &co develop a computational toolkit to facilitate this, analyzing developmental patterning in mouse, chick & #Drosophila #embryo @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4lQMeNu
July 16, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Measuring properties of individual cells in relation to their neighbors in 3D tissues is challenging. @cellysally.bsky.social &co develop a computational toolkit to facilitate this, analyzing developmental patterning in mouse, chick & #Drosophila #embryo @plosbiology.org 🧪 plos.io/4lQMeNu
Reposted by Alejo Torres
🧵Just out !
We reveal how 4 branched epithelia—mammary, lacrimal, salivary & prostate—use a conserved YAP–Notch–p63 circuit to self-organize during development & regeneration.
Here’s the story👇
authors.elsevier.com/c/1lM285Sx5g...
Work done in @frelab.bsky.social at
@institutcurie.bsky.social
We reveal how 4 branched epithelia—mammary, lacrimal, salivary & prostate—use a conserved YAP–Notch–p63 circuit to self-organize during development & regeneration.
Here’s the story👇
authors.elsevier.com/c/1lM285Sx5g...
Work done in @frelab.bsky.social at
@institutcurie.bsky.social
July 1, 2025 at 6:39 AM
🧵Just out !
We reveal how 4 branched epithelia—mammary, lacrimal, salivary & prostate—use a conserved YAP–Notch–p63 circuit to self-organize during development & regeneration.
Here’s the story👇
authors.elsevier.com/c/1lM285Sx5g...
Work done in @frelab.bsky.social at
@institutcurie.bsky.social
We reveal how 4 branched epithelia—mammary, lacrimal, salivary & prostate—use a conserved YAP–Notch–p63 circuit to self-organize during development & regeneration.
Here’s the story👇
authors.elsevier.com/c/1lM285Sx5g...
Work done in @frelab.bsky.social at
@institutcurie.bsky.social
Reposted by Alejo Torres
Paper alert! I am really pleased to share the final version of the work led by Irène Amblard in the team on a regulatory switch controlling Cdx2 expression during posterior body development! #regulatorylogic #devbio @mrc-lms.bsky.social @imperialmed.bsky.social
June 27, 2025 at 3:07 PM
Paper alert! I am really pleased to share the final version of the work led by Irène Amblard in the team on a regulatory switch controlling Cdx2 expression during posterior body development! #regulatorylogic #devbio @mrc-lms.bsky.social @imperialmed.bsky.social