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Developmental biology studies how organisms develop and progress, from molecular to systemic levels. It includes cell growth, differentiation, and morphogenesis, which are important in cancer and stem cell research. The field also explores embryonic development, regeneration, and metamorphosis, and sheds light on chromosomal mutations and potential treatments for ailments.
Developmental biology is a branch of science that explores how organisms develop and progress. Different levels of biology are studied, from the molecular and cellular level, to the tissue or systemic levels of anatomy. This scientific field overlaps with other fields such as biochemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, evolutionary biology, and genetics.
Among its many areas of interest, developmental biology is said to have three main topics: cell growth, cell differentiation, and morphogenesis. Cell growth refers to the process in which the cellular structure of an organism develops. Studying cell growth helps scientists learn about the process of cell division, where a single cell divides and creates two cells, and the two cells repeat the process. Aside from the growth itself, scientists can also observe how cells control and terminate their growth when the cell population is adequate. Studying cell growth is an important part of cancer research, as cancer can be caused by the absence of growth control in cells.
The study of cell differentiation is also important in developmental biology because it helps scientists understand how cells develop into specialized types. A single cell divides and reproduces daughter cells that are functionally different from their parent cell, creating a complex organism that contains a diversity of cells. While the process can be observed, how cells are programmed to undergo the process is not yet fully determined. Even so, cell differentiation is an important aspect of stem cell research, because stem cells have the ability to reproduce specialized cells indefinitely and possibly cure many diseases.
Developmental biology also delves into the process of morphogenesis, which refers to how an organism takes shape from the inside out. After undergoing differentiation, the cells would cluster together with other cells of a similar type. Cells are also usually programmed to move in a limited location, based on their associations with other cells. Cancer researchers also benefit from studying morphogenesis, because the process also applies to malignant cells that pack together to form a tumor.
The field of developmental biology also studies other processes such as embryonic development, regeneration in reptiles such as salamanders and lizards, and metamorphosis in caterpillars. Understanding how a normal cell can develop would therefore help scientists understand why some cells deviate from the normal process and become destructive cells. Developmental biology also sheds light on the occurrences of chromosomal mutations, such as in cleft palate, Down syndrome and autism. All this knowledge, in turn, would help scientists discover treatments for many ailments.
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