Mathematics Colloquia and Seminars

Return to Colloquia & Seminar listing

Mechanics plays an important role in eukaryotic cell responses to external stimuli in a range of different time scales. Our lab studies the mechanics of processes such as cell migration and cytoskeletal remodeling which are driven by the generation of traction forces and the regulation of cytoskeletal assemblies. Our recent studies have focused on problems such as the polarization of the viscoelastic properties of confluent vascular endothelial cells subject to continuous flow, or the role of motor proteins, F-actin polimerization upregulators and crosslinkers in the organization and overall contractility of the cytoskeleton. This talk will review these studies and describe novel enabling technologies developed in our lab to probe the mechanical role of molecules at the level of the whole cell.