Intervenant : Emilie Marhuenda
Date et lieu : jeudi 26 février à 11h, salle de conférence de l'IBGC
Invité par l'equipe de Thomas Daubon de l'IBGC, GBmetabo
Title : Mechanosensing in Health and Disease: Cell–Microenvironment Interactions and Bioengineering Approaches
Abstract : The composition and stiffness of the tissue microenvironment change during development and disease. The mechanical properties and composition of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are integrated at the tissue level and regulate multiple cell behaviours, including differentiation, migration and proliferation, as well as tissue homeostasis, remodelling and development. Cells are mechanically coupled to transmit forces, and mechanosensing is a major regulator of cell signalling. It is therefore crucial to reproduce in vitro both the mechanical properties and matrisome characteristics of the in vivo microenvironment in order to generate relevant physiological and pathological models for cell culture and tissue engineering, and to uncover novel disease mechanisms.
To address this challenge, my research over the past years, from PhD to postdoctoral work, has focused on cell–cell and cell–ECM interactions in different biological contexts, ranging from cancer to cardiovascular disease. By combining state-of-the-art biofabrication approaches (electrospinning, micropatterning), mechanical characterisation techniques (nanoindentation, atomic force microscopy) and advanced imaging methods (FLIM and super-resolution microscopy), my work has characterised the optimal stiffness ranges governing cancer cell migration and environmental responses, as well as cardiomyocyte contractile function and the identification of novel mechanosensitive complexes.
This presentation will focus on my recent work, including talin-mediated interactions and mechanical imprinting, the nanoscale organisation and maturation of adhesion complexes, the role of the glycocalyx in mechanosensing, and the identification of a previously uncharacterised mechanosensing complex at adherens junctions
