A research team led by David Rand at The University of Warwick and James Briscoe at the Francis Crick Institute have been awarded over £1.3 million from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to establish a rulebook that defines the decision-making processes by which cells determine their fate or ‘type’.

How the body produces the right number of different cells during human development is a mysterious process. Researchers have made progress in understanding which chemical signals are responsible for some of these paths – known as cell fate decisions – but haven’t yet defined a set of rules that govern all decisions.

Working across the Crick and Warwick, David and James will develop a computer model that can identify universal features present in all cell fate decisions, including which genes are present and when.

The aim is to build a bigger picture view of early human development, where researchers can examine the moment cell fate is determined.

David Rand, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, said, “Seeing how a supposedly abstract subject like mathematics can cast new light on a fundamental aspect of biology and medicine is particularly rewarding because it gives new ways of looking at such things and also feeds new ideas back into mathematics.”

Decoding the rules of development

In their four-year project, James and David will first gather data using single-cell sequencing, which involves mapping the activity of key genes in individual cells.

The researchers will then create a computer model based on this data, which will outline the rules governing cell fate decisions and make predictions about what a given cell will specialise into in a particular environment.

Finally, the team will test their new programme in a model of a vertebrate neural tube, a structure in the embryo that becomes the spinal cord. They will use the computer model to investigate how the embryo uses the combination, level and duration of chemical signals to generate appropriate proportions of each nerve cell type.

James Briscoe, Group Leader of the Developmental Dynamics Laboratory at the Crick, said: “We're thrilled to receive this grant which brings together dynamical systems theory and cutting-edge molecular biology to tackle fundamental questions about cell fate decisions. My group has been working with David’s for a while and this project is a fantastic opportunity to deepen and continue our interdisciplinary collaboration. The ability to predict and direct cell differentiation would be transformative for designing engineered tissues and understanding disease processes."

This work could be important for synthetic biology, helping to grow the right cell types for tissues used for medical or research purposes. It may also help researchers to understand developmental disorders of the spinal cord, which involve many different cell types.

ENDS

University of Warwick Press Contact:

Matt Higgs, Media & Communications Officer (Press Office)

Email: Matt.Higgs@warwick.ac.uk | Phone: +44 7880 175403

Notes to Editors

About The University of Warwick:

The University of Warwick is one of the UK’s leading universities, marking its 60th anniversary in 2025. With over twenty-eight thousand students from 147 countries, it is currently ranked 9th in the UK by The Guardian University Guide. It has an acknowledged reputation for excellence in research and teaching, for innovation, and for links with business and industry. The recent Research Excellence Framework classed 92% of its research as ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’. The University of Warwick was awarded Midlands University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times.

About the Francis Crick Institute:

The Francis Crick Institute hosts more than 2,000 staff and student who work across disciplines and explore biology at all levels, from molecules through cells to entire organisms. The Crick is the outcome of a merger between the MRC's National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) and CRUK's London Research Institute (LRI). The new institute was named after the UK scientist Francis Crick in recognition of his contributions to understanding the genetic code, the key to understanding how living things work.

Please find the Francis Crick Press Release here