Mechanobiology of differentiation and invasion in 3D cell assemblies

The goal of this project area is to elucidate the mechanobiological mechanisms underlying the formation and fate of spherical cell assemblies. We study these mechanisms in the following paradigms:: transition of 2D iPSC colonies into 3D self-organized embryoid bodies, breast tissue homeostasis and tumor invasion under external shear stress, and human embryo implantation. The observations are modeled to define the fundamental framework for the interactions and hierarchical organization of epithelial cells within tissues in mechanoresponses.
PULS Group, Institute for Theoretical Physics, FAU Erlangen
Toward quantitative modeling and simulations of structure formation in epithelium – relating tissue topology and homeostasis
Ana-Suncana Smith
Principal Investigator
Kevin Höllring
Associated Postdoctoral Researcher
Multiskalare Wechselwirkungen in ausgewählten Systemen kondensierter und lebendiger Materie
Madhura Dhatchayani
Doctoral Researcher
Quantification of stress generation and relaxation in model epithelium
Project overview. Quantitative analysis and modeling of interaction of epithelial tissues and the environment. (A) An example of experiments for stretching a colony of MDCK cells. (B) Analysis of experimental images with well-established methods to follow individual cells and quantify different properties of cells such as distribution of cell area as plotted here. (C) Continuum models developed to describe the dynamics of the spatial profile of cell density (n) with cell velocity (v) and active terms (k). The results fit very well with the colony growth experiments. (D) Simulation of growth and stretching of tissues at the level of individual cells (vertex model).