Léo Pio-Lopez

Léo Pio-Lopez is a co-author with Michael Levin on work that links computation to biological form. One paper applied active inference to morphogenesis and psychiatry¹³. Another examined gene expression in Xenobots⁵. A third modelled aging as a loss of goal-directed behaviour in morphogenesis⁷.

In the library: 7 works, named in 1 passages elsewhere

Active inference and morphogenesis

In a 2022 paper with Kuchling, Tung, Pezzulo and Levin, Pio-Lopez worked with active inference, a computational framework for action and perception. The authors note that it has been linked to psychiatric disorders¹. On that view, psychopathological conditions can be read as disorders of inference². The paper also draws parallels between this framework and open problems in the science of dynamic morphogenesis³. The passages held here describe the framing. They do not report experimental results from the paper.

Xenobot transcriptomics

In a 2025 paper led by Pai, with Pio-Lopez as second author, the subjects were basal Xenobots. These are autonomously motile constructs made from Xenopus embryonic ectodermal explants⁴. The authors compared transcripts in three Xenobot samples and three embryo samples. Xenobot genes showed significantly higher inter-individual variation than embryo genes⁵. Day 7 Xenobots also changed their motion in response to vibration, which inactive Xenobots and age-matched embryos did not do⁶.

Aging as lost goal-directedness

In a 2025 paper with Hartl and Levin, Pio-Lopez treated aging through the lens of morphogenesis. The paper describes morphogenesis as multicellular collectives acting together toward a specific endpoint in the space of anatomical possibilities⁷. It uses an evolutionary simulation. The passages held here show the simulation design but not its outcome.

SourcesEach quotation was checked word for word against the passage it opens.

Active inference is a computational framework for action and perception and has been linked to various psychiatric disorders (Montague et al., 2012).Pio-Lopez L, Kuchling F, Tung A, Pezzulo G, Levin M, 2022 · Active inference, morphogenesis, and computational psychiatry · open at passage 12
From this point of view, psychopathological conditions can be understood as disorders of (active) inference.Pio-Lopez L, Kuchling F, Tung A, Pezzulo G, Levin M, 2022 · Active inference, morphogenesis, and computational psychiatry · open at passage 12
exploring interesting parallels that allow it to generate insights for open problems in the science of dynamic morphogenesis.Pio-Lopez L, Kuchling F, Tung A, Pezzulo G, Levin M, 2022 · Active inference, morphogenesis, and computational psychiatry · open at passage 4
The basal Xenobots are autonomously motile, self-assembling constructs derived from frog (Xenopus laevis) embryonic ectodermal explantsPai VP, Pio-Lopez L, Sperry MM, Erickson P, Tayyebi P…, 2025 · Basal Xenobot transcriptomics reveals changes and novel control modality in… · open at passage 4
In Xenobots, genes have significantly higher inter-individual CVs and a broader range of CVs than embryos (Wilcoxon Rank Sum test, p = 0)Pai VP, Pio-Lopez L, Sperry MM, Erickson P, Tayyebi P…, 2025 · Basal Xenobot transcriptomics reveals changes and novel control modality in… · open at passage 12
These results reveal that day 7 freely-behaving Xenobots specifically respond (in form of changed motion behavior) to vibration stimulus in ways that inactive (passive) Xenobots and age-matched normal embryos do not.Pai VP, Pio-Lopez L, Sperry MM, Erickson P, Tayyebi P…, 2025 · Basal Xenobot transcriptomics reveals changes and novel control modality in… · open at passage 24
Morphogenesis is the result of multicellular collectives acting together to achieve a specific endpoint within the space of anatomical possibilitiesPio-Lopez L, Hartl B, Levin M, 2025 · Aging as a Loss of Goal-Directedness: An Evolutionary Simulation and Analysis… · open at passage 12
Thus, an evolutionary process was designed that primarily selects for NCAs that assume the correct cell type pattern after (precisely)Pio-Lopez L, Hartl B, Levin M, 2025 · Aging as a Loss of Goal-Directedness: An Evolutionary Simulation and Analysis… · open at passage 39