The Erlangen biophysics group is interested in the mechanical properties of cells and tissues: how cells respond to their mechanical environment, how they interact with their extracellular matrix and with neighboring cells, and what mechanisms they employ for transmigration, invasion, adhesion, contraction, and cell division. Our work has led to the discovery of a universal relationship between cell mechanics, cytoskeletal structure and dynamics, and the properties of the extracellular matrix. We are currently exploring the mechanisms that cause cells to follow this relationship, and we explore how this relationship impinges on cell responses in disorders such as asthma, cardio-vascular diseases, and cancer. To address these questions, our lab collaborates with other research groups worldwide to develop new technologies that draw from various fields, including soft matter physics, molecular cell biology, biochemistry, engineering, and applied mathematics.
Focus of research
- Mechanical Properties of the Cytoskeleton, Cells, and Tissues
Cell behavior in a 3-D matrix, tumor cell invasion and
transmigration Mechano-Chemical Signaling in Cells Prostate Cancer Growth Inhibitors in Saw Palmetto Berry Extract
(SPBE)
Cooperation partners
- Lehrstuhl für Theoretische Physik, Uni Erlangen
Lehrstuhl für Experimentelle Medizin II, Uni Erlangen Institut für Biochemie, Uni Erlangen Universitätsklinikum Erlangen (Strahlenklinik, Med.Klinik 3) Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, Heidelberg IZKF Leipzig, Medizinische Fakultät, Uni Leipzig Biophysics Department, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA Boston Bioproducts Inc., Worcester, MA, USA Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA Departments of Pathology and Surgery, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Majo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA Physiology Program, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA Renal Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA The Scripps Research Institute, San Diego, CA, USA Purdue University, Dept. of Chemistry, Indianapolis, IN, USA School of Biomedical Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Kanada McGill University, Dept. of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Montreal, Kanada Technicon - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel Physics Dept., University of Western Australia, Perth, Australien
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