About Us

The Alex Ludwig lab (ALab) is affiliated with the School of Biological Sciences (SBS) at NTU Singapore. Our lab and offices are located at the NTU Institute of Structural Biology (NISB).

We are interested in the formation, organisation and regulation of epithelial tissue barriers. Epithelial cells line all internal body cavities and thereby separate outside from inside. They determine the shape and function of tissues and constitute a semi-permeable barrier that controls the flux of molecules across the tissue. Defects in epithelial barriers causes developmental defects and various human diseases.

Our goal is to understand how epithelial cells establish apico-basal polarity. Here we focus on the role of the Crumbs complex, a key regulator of cell polarity and growth. We are also interested in the assembly mechanisms and regulation of epithelial tight junctions, which control paracellular permeability. We address this using biochemical, cell biological and imaging approaches in 2D and 3D cell cultures.