Abstract: The Amack Lab has a long-standing interest in understanding organ morphogenesis during embryonic development. Several projects are focused on investigating mechanisms that control form and function of a transient organ referred to as the 'left-right organizer' (LRO) that orients the left-right body axis of vertebrate embryos. In the zebrafish embryo, the precursor cells that give rise to the LRO (which is called Kupffer's vesicle) can be tracked and manipulated in living embryos. Interestingly, our work, and work from others, indicated LRO morphogenesis is a complex multi-layered process that appears to be regulated by several mechanisms that involve both biochemical signals and biophysical forces. The zebrafish LRO develops in a complex and dynamic environment, where it experiences biochemical cues, cell movements, and tissue-tissue interactions. By taking multiple approaches, which include mathematical modeling, quantitative live imaging, gene targeting, and embryological manipulation, we are using the zebrafish LRO to understand and tease apart complementary and/or redundant mechanisms that drive complex developmental programs in vivo.