Embryonic development is a dynamic, three-dimensional process, posing significant challenges to the teaching and research communities that disseminate current research findings. Although much work has been devoted to fate maps for the early cleavage stages (providing a resource used by developmental biologists to analyze changes in fate induced by cellular and gene product manipulations), none of these maps are available in a convenient format for morphogenetic analysis. Currently, data is typically presented in tables and pie diagrams. This project addresses the above problems with the development of dynamic, 3-dimensional software for use by both the researcher and the student of embryology, offering a significant commercial opportunity. In phase I of this project, we will develop software technologies for the dynamic mapping of morphologic, 3-dimensional spatial relationships between cell lineages and gene products of Xenopus laevis--a key animal model for studies of developmental mechanisms. In phase II, the needs of a wide range of embryologic research will be studied and the software will be extended, allowing input of other animal models. The software will allow for visualization of developmental processes, allowing researchers to see patterns that may reveal insights into the cause and prevention of birth defects.
In Phase I of the project, development of tools to facilitate the input and analysis of embryonic data will occur, offering considerable commercial potential in marketing these products to end-users in the research community or licensing the technology to providers of analytic software.
