Mechanics of the actin cortex in biomimetic and living systems

Cells move in our body. However, when movement involves cancer cells (e.g. during metastasis), it becomes dangerous. Matthias Bussonier aims to understand the mechanics that drive proliferation and spreading of cancer cells in the body.
Cell mechanics is at the heart of many fundamental biological processes. Mechanical properties of a cell are determined by the cytoskeleton, and the actin cortex. The current understanding of th e physical properties of this actin cortex is limited due to the complex structure of living cells. My project aims to investigate the mechanical properties of biomimetic actin cortex, especially measure the mechanical properties of biomimetic cell blebs. I use active and passive microrheology which allows frequency dependent quantification of the viscoelastic properties. The understanding of the mechanical properties of the actin cortex is important in the investigation of cell motility, which in turn is the driving mechanism for the formation of cancer metastatis.