Department of Cell & Systems Biology

Meet our Faculty

Explore who’s behind our latest outstanding publications.

Nicholas J. Provart

Professor

Sergey V. Plotnikov

Associate Professor

Colette L. Picard

Assistant Professor

Recent Publications

Camsap2a regulates actomyosin flow and Rab5ab-mediated macropinocytosis in the yolk cell during zebrafish epiboly

Wan H, Quibria S, Iu E, User SD, Plotnikov SV, Bruce AEE
2026, Development, 10.1242/dev.204843

A TRPV4-dependent calcium signaling axis regulates lamellipodial actin architecture to promote cell migration

Iu E, Bogatch A, Deng W, Humphries JD, Yang C, Valencia FR, Li C, McCulloch CA, Tanentzapf G, Svitkina TM, Humphries MJ, Plotnikov SV
2026, Current Biology, 10.1016/j.cub.2026.01.024

Actomyosin cortex integration with complex plasma membrane topography in the early Drosophila embryo

Naidoo RK, Tam R, Harris TJ
2026, Journal of Cell Biology, 10.1083/jcb.202509151

Latest News

February 9, 2026

Secrets of gene regulation during development probed with new tools by Professor Colette L. Picard

Professor Colette L. Picard is bringing her innovative skills in single cell genomics to the Department of Cell & Systems Biology (CSB) as a new…

February 6, 2026

Technical innovations in the Plotnikov lab reveal machinery behind cell migration in unprecedented detail

An international team led by a UofT lab has revealed a novel regulatory system behind cell migration and shown how the different parts work……

December 23, 2025

Professor Eyal Gruntman earns funding for cutting-edge equipment to probe the brains of flies

A new grant to Professor Eyal Gruntman from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) will purchase a light-sheet microscope to speed up his…

What’s Happening at CSB

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