Julie Baker

Biography

Julie Baker is Professor of Genetics in the Department of Genetics. She is Member of Bio-X and Child Health Research Institute.

Research Interest

His main focus is to understand the signals necessary for patterning and specifying diverse cellular fates during gastrulation in the mouse. Mouse gastrulation, even more so than amphibian and teleost gastrulation, is a period of vast differentiation and growth. During this stage, the mouse embryo transitions from having only two cell types, to having hundreds. Although an incredibly rich source of cell signaling, the mouse gastrula has not been used by molecular biologists to mine for molecules. This is mainly due to the size (100mm) and inaccessibility of the mouse gastrula, which therefore precludes the effective use of biochemistry, embryology and molecular assays in general.