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Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

@lakshmib02.bsky.social

850 followers 1.4K following 17 posts

Herchel Smith/ EMBO Postdoctoral fellow at the Gurdon Institute working on mechanics and embryogenesis at Xiong lab. PhD @Ladoux MegeLab, Paris. Cell migration, adhesion and biophysics aficionado.

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Lakshmi Balasubramaniam @lakshmib02.bsky.social · Apr 10

We are excited to share our recent preprint on how tissue spreading guides extracellular matrix changes during early morphogenesis @gurdoninstitute.bsky.social

bioRxiv Developmental Biology @biorxiv-devbio.bsky.social · Apr 8

Tissue spreading couples gastrulation through extracellular matrix remodelling in early avian embryos https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.06.647388v1

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Lakshmi Balasubramaniam @lakshmib02.bsky.social · Jul 25

Do sign up to this amazing opportunity to present your interdisciplinary work to a diverse audience all across the world ✍️

Theory of Living Matter Group @tlmcambridge.bsky.social · Jul 25

Thank you to everyone who has supported TLM talks. We will be back in Ocotber with some new exciting talks. We have plans to incorporate short talks by students and postdocs, fill out this form to express your interest forms.gle/34vMwQNVGnvm....
Have a nice summer 🌅

Early Career Speaking List - Theory of Living Matter

Sign up to be considered as an Early Career Speaker at our upcoming events! Selected participants will have the opportunity to present their work and network with professionals in the field. Importa...

forms.gle

Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

Jonas Neipel @neipel.bsky.social · Jul 20

(1/10)
I am excited to finally share our work on avian left/right symmetry breaking with you. We reveal a tissue-scale active torque dipole generated at the Hensen’s node, thanks to crazy experiments by Julia @juliapfanzelter.bsky.social and some analysis by me.
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

An active torque dipole across tissue layers drives avian left-right symmetry breaking

Unlike in mice, frogs, and fish, left-right (L/R) body axis formation in avian embryos does not arise from the chiral beat of cilia. Instead, a counter-clockwise tissue rotation around Hensen′ node, t...

doi.org

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Lakshmi Balasubramaniam @lakshmib02.bsky.social · Jul 5

Had a great time meeting other EMBO fellows and discussing the ups and downs being a postdoc. It was nice to walk away inspired from all the conversations and training sessions. Thanks @embo.org for bringing us all together

EMBO @embo.org · Jul 2

119 EMBO Fellows from 30+ countries attended the EMBO Fellows’ Meeting in Heidelberg, DE from 27 June–1 July. #Research was shared and connections formed – an incredible opportunity for #networking and #collaboration. Thank you to all who joined and were part of this vibrant community! 🧪

Lakshmi Balasubramaniam @lakshmib02.bsky.social · Jul 5

Join us online on Wednesday as part of Developments online webinar to hear about early development

the Node @the-node.bsky.social · Jul 4

Sign up to attend our next Development presents... webinar on early #embryogenesis, featuring talks from @lakshmib02.bsky.social, @dias-andre.bsky.social ‬and @nikhil-mishra.bsky.social

📅Wed 9 July 15:00BST (UTC+1)

Register here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

#DevBio @dev-journal.bsky.social

Development presents... Wednesday 9 July 15:00 BST, chaired by Alex Eve.

Talk 1: Lakshmi Balasubramaniam (Gurdon Institute)
‘Tissue spreading couples matrix remodelling during avian gastrulation’

Talk 2: André Dias (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)
‘Opposing Nodal and Wnt signalling activities govern the emergence of the mammalian body plan’

Talk 3: Nikhil Mishra (Institute of Science and Technology Austria)
‘Geometry-driven asymmetric cell divisions pattern cell cycles and zygotic genome activation in the zebrafish embryo’

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Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

the Node @the-node.bsky.social · Jun 23

Sign up to attend our next Development presents... webinar on early #embryogenesis, featuring talks from @lakshmib02.bsky.social‬, @dias-andre.bsky.social ‬and @nikhil-mishra.bsky.social.

📅Wed 9 July 15:00BST (UTC+1)

Register here: us02web.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

#DevBio @dev-journal.bsky.social

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Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

Theory of Living Matter Group @tlmcambridge.bsky.social · May 30

🚨Our next seminar on, Mon 16/05 | 14:30 UK - Hybrid Seminar in collaboration with @cammorphoseries.bsky.social at @slcuplants.bsky.social we have Chii Jou Chan from @mbisg.bsky.social Come join us in person if you are in Cambridge🚨📝for the zoom link: lists.cam.ac.uk/sympa/subscr...

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Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

Theory of Living Matter Group @tlmcambridge.bsky.social · Apr 24

🚨Next week, Wed 30/04 | 16:00 UK - Online Seminar🚨

"Learning the emergent order of living matter from bacteria" by Prof Yilin Wu from The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

To attend online please register to our 📧 for the zoom link: lists.cam.ac.uk/sympa/subscr...

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Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

Theory of Living Matter Group @tlmcambridge.bsky.social · Apr 10

📢 Exciting news!!
🌟We have a stellar line up of speakers this Easter Term. Join us for online and hybrid talks that you won't want to miss.
✉️Subscribe to attend our online sessions: lists.cam.ac.uk/sympa/subscr...
Don’t forget to follow us for more details and online links!

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Lakshmi Balasubramaniam @lakshmib02.bsky.social · Apr 10

Thank you so much Benoit

Lakshmi Balasubramaniam @lakshmib02.bsky.social · Apr 10

We are excited to share our recent preprint on how tissue spreading guides extracellular matrix changes during early morphogenesis @gurdoninstitute.bsky.social

bioRxiv Developmental Biology @biorxiv-devbio.bsky.social · Apr 8

Tissue spreading couples gastrulation through extracellular matrix remodelling in early avian embryos https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.06.647388v1

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Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

Benoit Ladoux @bladoux.bsky.social · Mar 14

Happy to share our new publication in
@naturematerials.bsky.social
on mechanical cell competition! Great collaboration between our CAM team, Chavrier's and Doostmohammadi's. Special congrats
@luanger.bsky.social, @andreasschoenit.bsky.social, Siavash Monfared! 🎉
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

UEA Biological Sciences @biouea.bsky.social · Mar 13

We're looking forward to welcoming @lakshmib02.bsky.social to our next CDMB seminar on 20 March, talking about "Extraembryonic tissue as a tool to study collective migration and multilayered tissue formation".
#UEAScience

photo of Dr Lakshmi Balasubramaniam with talk details

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Lakshmi Balasubramaniam @lakshmib02.bsky.social · Mar 12

Congrats Pu. It looks really nice :)

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Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

epithelial mechanics fan club @epimechfc.bsky.social · Mar 1

What do star fish, snowflakes, and even cells have in common?

I am @juliaeckert.bsky.social and I would like to take you on a journey into the field of soft matter and give you a brief overview of experimental observations on symmetries in biological systems. #EpithelialMechanics

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Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

Julia Eckert @juliaeckert.bsky.social · Jan 29

Thrilled to share our new preprint on detecting the nematic orientation field on surfaces of 3D multicellular systems!

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Huge thanks to all authors: @tobyandrews.bsky.social,Joe Pollard, @rashmi-priya.bsky.social, @yap-lab.bsky.social &Richard Morris

Any 3D systems?👇

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Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

Theory of Living Matter Group @tlmcambridge.bsky.social · Jan 22

🚨Next week, Wed 29/01 | 16:00 UK - Online Seminar🚨
"Patterning, waves and synchronization in cilia arrays" by Dr. Guillermina Rochelle Ramirez-San-Juan. Please repost & to attend online please register to our 📧for the zoom link: lists.cam.ac.uk/sympa/subscr...
#cilia #livingmatter #biophysics

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Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

Theory of Living Matter Group @tlmcambridge.bsky.social · Jan 13

📢 Exciting news!!
🌟We have a stellar line up of speakers this Lent Term. Join us for online and hybrid talks that you won't want to miss.
✉️Subscribe to attend our online sessions: lists.cam.ac.uk/sympa/subscr...
Don’t forget to follow us for more details and online links!

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Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

Institut Jacques Monod @ijmonod.bsky.social · Jan 14

✍️ L'équipe Ladoux/Mege a publié un nouvel article dans @naturephysics.bsky.social
📃"Dynamic forces shape the survival fate of eliminated cells"
🔗https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-024-02716-5

Article relayé dans @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social ➡️ www.insb.cnrs.fr/fr/cnrsinfo/...

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Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

Nature Physics @natphys.nature.com · Jan 8

Published today! #Biophysics #Physics #Science

It turns out that the forces applied to cells as they are ejected from a tissue affects whether those cells 'live' or 'die'.

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Dynamic forces shape the survival fate of eliminated cells - Nature Physics

Tissues eliminate unwanted cells through cell extrusion, but the factors determining whether these extuded cells live or die are not fully understood. Now force transmission across adherens junctions ...

www.nature.com

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Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

Benoit Ladoux @bladoux.bsky.social · Jan 8

Happy to share our new publication in @naturephysics.bsky.social on life and death of eliminated cells! Great collaboration between our CAM team and Doostmohammadi's. Special congrats @lakshmib02.bsky.social and Siavash Monfared! 🎉
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

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Lakshmi Balasubramaniam @lakshmib02.bsky.social · Jan 8

a better link to the published version: rdcu.be/d5AD6

Dynamic forces shape the survival fate of eliminated cells

Nature Physics - Tissues eliminate unwanted cells through cell extrusion, but the factors determining whether these extuded cells live or die are not fully understood. Now force transmission across...

rdcu.be

Reposted by Lakshmi Balasubramaniam

Levayer Lab @levayerr.bsky.social · Jan 8

E-cad depletion promotes live extrusion and a shift toward basal extrusion in 2D MDCK culture on collagen and cyst
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
most likely through higher resistance to apoptosis and change faster dissipation of compressive stress.

Dynamic forces shape the survival fate of eliminated cells - Nature Physics

www.nature.com

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Lakshmi Balasubramaniam @lakshmib02.bsky.social · Jan 8

See another beautiful example of how these cells regulate forces at the interface of differential adhesion here bsky.app/profile/andr...

Andreas Schoenit @andreasschoenit.bsky.social · Dec 21

Thrilled to share our new manuscript on how force transmission can regulate mechanical cell competition!

Fun collaboration between the @bladoux.bsky.social / @rmmege.bsky.social and the Doostmohammadi group combining experiments and simulations.
Main points below 👇

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Force transmission is a master regulator of mechanical cell competition

Cell competition is a tissue surveillance mechanism for eliminating unwanted cells and as such is indispensable in development, infection and tumorigenesis. Although different biochemical mechanisms a...

www.biorxiv.org

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Lakshmi Balasubramaniam @lakshmib02.bsky.social · Jan 8

We also have some sequencing and proteomics datasets for MDCK WT and E-cad KO cells with cell death being differentially regulated. Through a combination of phase field modeling we show that mechanical forces are able to regulate death signals in a cell through neighbour cell interactions.

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Lakshmi Balasubramaniam @lakshmib02.bsky.social · Jan 8

Some example where this is particularly relevant include cancers and development where cells undergo cell state transitions during EMT or MET where cadherins are known to be differentially regulated.

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