Elena Scarpa

Elena Scarpa is a Fellow at the University of Cambridge, affiliated with the School of Biological Sciences. Her research focuses on the stresses experienced by cells during movement through the body, with an emphasis on errors during cell division that may contribute to cancer. She investigates the behavior of neural crest cells, which migrate through narrow spaces in fish embryos. Her work explores the mechanics of cell migration, development, and related conditions such as neuroblastoma. She utilizes techniques including embryology, microscopy, and quantitative imaging to advance understanding in these areas.

Elena Scarpa is a researcher at the University of Cambridge focusing on developmental biology, cell biology, cell mechanics, mitosis, and cell migration. Her work explores collective cell migration during development, the role of cadherin switches in neural crest cells, and the mechanics of cell division. She investigates how mechanical stress and planar polarized patterning influence embryonic cell divisions and how actomyosin dynamics affect compartment boundaries. Her research also includes the study of contact inhibition of locomotion and the role of Rho GTPases in cell-cell interactions. Scarpa's contributions highlight the interplay between mechanical forces and cellular behavior in developmental processes.