Jennifer Zallen

Jennifer Zallen is interested in the generation of tissue structure through the collective actions of cell populations. These organized actions are fundamental to establishing body form and generating the distinct shapes and functions of different organs. 

Zallen and her team work to understand how multiple cellular processes, including cell polarity, motility, and adhesions, are integrated in tissue remodeling, and how communication between cells modulates these processes so that all members of a population move in the same way. They also study how these processes can be coopted to promote cell movements that lead to tumor cell metastasis.