Our group is mainly interested in the following questions
- How does mechanical stress modify material properties of living matter, and how is this exploited for biological function?
- How does mechanical stress impact on the growth of cells and tissues?
Current research foci in my lab are
- Measurement of the mechanical properties of the actin cell cortex of live cells
- The influence of cell mechanics on mitotic rounding and cell division in cancer cells
- The effect of mechanical tension on the binding dynamics of actin-associated proteins
- Study of mechanical stresses in tissue development
We combine experimental and theoretical work.
Our method set includes
- Atomic force microscopy and optical tweezer
- Cell culture and basic related biochemical methods
- Optical microscopy
- Continuum mechanics and concepts of viscoelasticity
- Theory of dynamical systems and Mathematical modelling