Introduction to Germ Cell and Developmental Biology


The germline includes all cells that have the potential to pass on their genetic information to the next generation. Germline and germ cell research has many different aspects. Three essential ones are 1) Egg and sperm development are unique biological processes that are still far from being understood at the genetic, cell biological and endocrinological level, 2) A better understanding of the widespread disease of infertility, which affects around one in six couples who wish to have children, and 3) Evolutionary studies: only those mutations that occur in the germline can have a long-term effect in evolution and contribute to the emergence of new species.
Developmental biology - or "the miracle of life". This completely unscientific statement describes what fascinates many developmental biologists: how can an organism as complex as a fruit fly, a zebrafish or a mammal develop from a single fertilized egg cell in a consistently reproducible way? Even though the basic principles of the development of a multicellular organism are now understood, numerous questions remain unanswered. The findings that developmental biology and developmental genetics have yielded to date also form the basis for new stem cell-based regenerative therapies that are currently undergoing experimental and preclinical testing. In this way, findings from basic research are smoothly incorporated into concepts for new therapies for patients and both fields, basic research and therapy research, go hand in hand here.