Pluripotency of a founding field: rebranding developmental biology

Crystal D Rogers¹, Chris Amemiya², Swathi Arur³, Leslie Babonis⁴, Michael Barresi⁵, Madelaine Bartlett⁶, Richard Behringer³, Blair Benham-Pyle⁷, Dominique Bergmann⁸, Ben Blackman⁹, C Titus Brown¹⁰, Bill Browne¹¹, Jasmin Camacho¹², Chiswili Yves Chabu¹³, Ida Chow¹⁴, Ondine Cleaver¹⁵, Jonah Cool¹⁶, Megan Y Dennis¹⁷, Alexandra Jazz Dickinson¹⁸, Stefano Di Talia¹⁹, Margaret Frank²⁰, Stewart Gillmor²¹, Eric S Haag²², Iswar Hariharan²³, Richard Harland²³, Aman Husbands²⁴, Loydie Jerome-Majewska²⁵, Kristen Koenig²⁶, Carole Labonne²⁷, Michael Layden²⁸, Chris Lowe²⁹, Madhav Mani²⁷, Megan Martik²³, Katelyn McKown³⁰, Cecilia Moens³¹, Christian Mosimann³², Joyce Onyenedum³³, Robert Reed⁴, Ajna Rivera³⁴, Dan Rokhsar²³, Loic Royer³⁵, Flora Rutaganira³⁶, Rachel Shahan^{37

38}, Neelima Sinha³⁹, Billie Swalla⁴⁰, Jaimie M Van Norman⁴¹, Daniel E Wagner⁴², Athula Wikramanayake¹¹, Sophia Zebell⁴³, Siobhán M Brady⁴⁴

Affiliations

¹ Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
² University of California, Merced, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Quantitative and Systems Biology Program, 5200 N. Lake Road, SE1 262, Merced, CA 95343, USA.
³ The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
⁴ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
⁵ Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA.
⁶ Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
⁷ Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
⁸ Department of Biology and HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
⁹ University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley CA 94720, USA.
¹⁰ Population Health & Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
¹¹ Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA.
¹² Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA.
¹³ Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia MO 65211, USA.
¹⁴ Society for Developmental Biology, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Molecular Biology, Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
¹⁶ Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA.
¹⁷ Genome Center, MIND Institute, and Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
¹⁹ Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
²⁰ School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
²¹ Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, CINVESTAV-IPN, Irapuato, Guanajuato 36824, Mexico.
²² Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
²³ University of California Berkeley, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
²⁴ Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
²⁵ Department of Pediatrics, Human Genetics, Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University and Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre at Glen Site, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada.
²⁶ Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
²⁷ Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
²⁸ Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA.
²⁹ Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, 120 Oceanview Blvd., Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.
³⁰ Department of Biology and Stanford Introductory Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
³¹ Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
³² Children's Hospital Colorado, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, 12801 E. 17th Avenue, RC1 South, 12114, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
³³ School of Integrative Plant Sciences and L. H. Bailey Hortorium, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
³⁴ University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA.
³⁵ Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
³⁶ Departments of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
³⁷ Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
³⁸ Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
³⁹ Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
⁴⁰ Biology Department and Friday Harbor Labs, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
⁴¹ Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
⁴² Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
⁴³ Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
⁴⁴ Department of Plant Biology and Genome Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.

PMID: 38345109
PMCID: PMC10986740
DOI: 10.1242/dev.202342

Pluripotency of a founding field: rebranding developmental biology

Crystal D Rogers et al. Development. 2024.

. 2024 Feb 1;151(3):dev202342.

doi: 10.1242/dev.202342. Epub 2024 Feb 12.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Anatomy, Physiology, and Cell Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
² University of California, Merced, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology and Quantitative and Systems Biology Program, 5200 N. Lake Road, SE1 262, Merced, CA 95343, USA.
³ The University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
⁴ Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
⁵ Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, USA.
⁶ Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
⁷ Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
⁸ Department of Biology and HHMI, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
⁹ University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley CA 94720, USA.
¹⁰ Population Health & Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
¹¹ Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33146, USA.
¹² Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA.
¹³ Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia MO 65211, USA.
¹⁴ Society for Developmental Biology, Rockville, MD 20852, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Molecular Biology, Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
¹⁶ Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Redwood City, CA 94063, USA.
¹⁷ Genome Center, MIND Institute, and Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, School of Biological Science, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
¹⁹ Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
²⁰ School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
²¹ Unidad de Genómica Avanzada, CINVESTAV-IPN, Irapuato, Guanajuato 36824, Mexico.
²² Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
²³ University of California Berkeley, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
²⁴ Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
²⁵ Department of Pediatrics, Human Genetics, Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University and Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre at Glen Site, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada.
²⁶ Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
²⁷ Department of Molecular Biosciences, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA.
²⁸ Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA.
²⁹ Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, 120 Oceanview Blvd., Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA.
³⁰ Department of Biology and Stanford Introductory Studies, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
³¹ Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA.
³² Children's Hospital Colorado, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, 12801 E. 17th Avenue, RC1 South, 12114, Aurora, CO 80045, USA.
³³ School of Integrative Plant Sciences and L. H. Bailey Hortorium, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA.
³⁴ University of the Pacific, Stockton, CA 95211, USA.
³⁵ Chan Zuckerberg Biohub, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA.
³⁶ Departments of Biochemistry and Developmental Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
³⁷ Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
³⁸ Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
³⁹ Department of Plant Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
⁴⁰ Biology Department and Friday Harbor Labs, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
⁴¹ Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
⁴² Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
⁴³ Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA.
⁴⁴ Department of Plant Biology and Genome Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.

PMID: 38345109
PMCID: PMC10986740
DOI: 10.1242/dev.202342

Abstract

The field of developmental biology has declined in prominence in recent decades, with off-shoots from the field becoming more fashionable and highly funded. This has created inequity in discovery and opportunity, partly due to the perception that the field is antiquated or not cutting edge. A 'think tank' of scientists from multiple developmental biology-related disciplines came together to define specific challenges in the field that may have inhibited innovation, and to provide tangible solutions to some of the issues facing developmental biology. The community suggestions include a call to the community to help 'rebrand' the field, alongside proposals for additional funding apparatuses, frameworks for interdisciplinary innovative collaborations, pedagogical access, improved science communication, increased diversity and inclusion, and equity of resources to provide maximal impact to the community.

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Figures

**Fig. 1.**
**Developmental biologists create true scientific art.** (A) A lateral view wholemount image of an *Ambystoma mexicanum* (axolotl) stage 45 tadpole shows cartilage (red) and sensory cells (pink and green) visualized with immunohistochemistry and stained with DAPI to show nuclei (credit to Emma Marshall, Rogers Lab at UC Davis). (B) *Drosophila melanogaster* (fruit fly) ovary stained for cytoskeleton (blue), DNA (orange) and STAT-responsive cells expressing GFP (magenta). This image was a winner of the 2018 FASEB BioArt competition (credit to Rogers Lab at UC Davis). (C) A wholemount immunohistochemistry image of a 13-somite stage *Coturnix japonica* (Japanese quail) embryo stained for E-cadherin (cadherin 1; green), PAX6 (magenta) and PAX2 (orange), anterior to the top (credit to Rogers Lab at UC Davis). (D) A cross-section of an *Arabidopsis thaliana* (thale cress) stem stained with Basic Fuchsin to visualize lignin in the secondary cell walls (pink) and Direct Yellow-96, which shows cellulose (credit to Mona Gouran at UC Davis).

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Pluripotency of a founding field: rebranding developmental biology

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Pluripotency of a founding field: rebranding developmental biology

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