Past Seminars

Here is the list of our past seminars:


Patricia Davidson (Institut Curie, Paris). ENS-ESPCI Biophysics Seminar - Clement Nizak, Olivia Du Roure

LINC-ing the cell nucleus, mechanics and disease

The ability of cells to migrate through tissues and interstitial spaces is essential during development and tissue homeostasis, immune cell mobility, and in various human diseases. In particular, deformation of the nucleus and its associated lamina during 3-D migration is gathering increasing interest in the context of cancer metastasis. The underlying hypothesis is that a softer nucleus, or increased force exertion on the nucleus, may aid tumour cell spreading. I will present here microfluidic devices I designed to observe confined 3-D migration in vitro and measure nuclear deformability. The first devices consist of precisely-defined constrictions mimicking physiological environments that enable high resolution imaging of live and fixed cells. Using these devices, I determined that nuclear deformability is a critical factor in the cells' ability to pass through constrictions smaller than the size of the nucleus. The second devices consist of an array of channels in parallel that mimic micropipette aspiration. These can be used to assess mechanical properties of the nucleus with a precise control of applied forces and time scales. I will also present more recent results on in vitro models I am currently developing to understand how forces are transmitted by the actin cytoskeleton to the nucleus during metastatic migration.






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Patricia Davidson (Institut Curie, Paris). ENS-ESPCI Biophysics Seminar - Clement Nizak, Olivia Du Roure

LINC-ing the cell nucleus, mechanics and disease

The ability of cells to migrate through tissues and interstitial spaces is essential during development and tissue homeostasis, immune cell mobility, and in various human diseases. In particular, deformation of the nucleus and its associated lamina during 3-D migration is gathering increasing interest in the context of cancer metastasis. The underlying hypothesis is that a softer nucleus, or increased force exertion on the nucleus, may aid tumour cell spreading. I will present here microfluidic devices I designed to observe confined 3-D migration in vitro and measure nuclear deformability. The first devices consist of precisely-defined constrictions mimicking physiological environments that enable high resolution imaging of live and fixed cells. Using these devices, I determined that nuclear deformability is a critical factor in the cells' ability to pass through constrictions smaller than the size of the nucleus. The second devices consist of an array of channels in parallel that mimic micropipette aspiration. These can be used to assess mechanical properties of the nucleus with a precise control of applied forces and time scales. I will also present more recent results on in vitro models I am currently developing to understand how forces are transmitted by the actin cytoskeleton to the nucleus during metastatic migration.






Seminar archive  (219)


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