People
We made the experience that the first step in finding discussion- and cooperation partners is to know people working in the same field or on complementary problems.
With EuroCurvoBioNet, we want to provide a platform where researchers can introduce themselves and their fields to facilitate scientific exchange.
Core Group
Action Chair
John Dunlop
Paris Lodron University of Salzburg
Austria
Chemistry and Physics of Materials
I would like to understand how biological tissues change shape and develop their internal microstructure during growth and morphogenesis. We observe how living tissues interact with their physical environment and then use this information to feed into computational models to predict growth and patterning in 3D. If we can understand this well, perhaps in the future tissues can be grown in particular patterns to attain a desired functionality.
Action Vice Chair
Łucja Kowalewska
Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw
Poland
Department of Plant Anatomy and Cytology
I am studying dynamic membranes of plant plastids focusing on their structural plasticity. I am particularly interested in understanding the structure-function relationship and self-organization mechanisms of inner plastid membrane assemblies - from cubic bicontinuous configurations of etioplast prolamellar bodies to lamellar structures of chloroplast thylakoids.
Department of Biomaterials
Science Communication Coordinator
Cécile Bidan
Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces
Germany
My research aims at clarifying the principles that guide tissue architecture. How do cells design and structure their extracellular matrix into a complex 3D supracellular microenvironment that fulfills mechanical and biological functions, while matching the surrounding physical constraints?
I am currently focusing on microbial tissues, with the perspective to design biofilm-based materials.
Grant Awarding
Coordinator
Barbara Schamberger
Heidelberg University
Germany
Institute for Molecular Systems Engineering and Advanced Materials
In my research, I am focused on the interaction between cells and tissue using geometrically well-defined artificial materials. For this, I employ advanced micromanufacturing techniques and high-resolution 3D printing to influence cellular migration and tissue growth.
Vice Science Communication Coordinator
Silvia Mihăilă
Utrecht University
The Netherlands
Utrecht Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
My research focuses on developing advanced in vitro models of epithelial tissues to precisely investigate their functional complexities. By manipulating well-defined biochemical, topographical, and flow cues, I influence cellular maturation and differentiation, enabling a thorough examination of the intricate interplay between cells and their environment. Ultimately, this research aims to elucidate the mechanisms underlying altered cellular functionality, a crucial factor in understanding disease initiation.
Working Group Leaders
WG1: Teaching & Outreach
André Paulo Galvão de Castro (A. P. G. Castro)
Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal
Universidade de Lisboa
Portugal
Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Setúbal
Instituto de Engenharia Mecânica, Instituto Superior Técnico
I am a Biomedical Engineering, specialized in Biomechanics and Biomaterials. My research is mainly focused the development of scaffolds for bone healing and spinal fusion, combining computational modelling, imaging, and experimental techniques. I am currently the vice-president of the Portuguese Society of Biomechanics and I am very eager to find more about the link between Curvature with Biomechanics.
WG1: Teaching & Outreach
Aylin Şendemir
Ege University
Turkey
Bioengineering Department
My research interests include interactions of mammalian cells with biomaterials, tissue engineering, mechanotransduction, stem cells and biocompatibility testing. I'm particularly interested in design and production of in vitro tissue engineered 3D personalized disease models for pharmaceutical screening and minimizing animal testing. I have experience in in vitro modeling of neurodegenerative diseases, blood-brain barrier pathologies, spinal cord injury and osteoporosis. I also investigate form and function relationships within different tissues and organisms.
WG2: Curvature of Cellular Membranes
Victoria Vitkova
Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Bulgaria
Institute of Solid State Physics
My research focuses on understanding the basic mechanisms driving the orchestrated and sometimes dramatic morphological changes involving the crucial participation of cell membranes, which requires detailed knowledge of the membrane elastic properties. I investigate the mechanics and rheology of lipid membrane structures in relation to the effect of their deformability on membrane-related processes in cells.
Working Group Leaders
WG2: Curvature of Cellular Membranes
Marija Jankunec
Vilnius University
Lithuania
Life Sciences Center
My research area focuses on developing and applying artificial lipid membranes, particularly surface-tethered phospholipid membranes (tBLMs), for the functional reconstitution of membrane proteins/peptides and other toxins. The structural and functional data are accessed through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. The acquired knowledge is then applied to the development of biomedical devices (biosensors).
WG3: Curvature & Single Cells
Laurent Pieuchot
CNRS
France
Mulhouse Materials Science Institute
My group is interested in understanding how cells interact with their physical environment by developing interdisciplinary approaches that combine cell biology, material sciences, biophysics and modelling. We have shown that cells and epithelia can respond to curvature variations through a process called curvotaxis. We are also developing biomimetic cell micro-environments, nanoscale self-assembled signalling platforms, bio-derived microsystems and bioactive materials, at the interface between biology and material sciences.
WG3: Curvature & Single Cells
Anupam Sengupta
University of Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Physics of Living Matter, Dept. of Physics and Materials Science
Institute for Advanced Studies
Research in my group bridges physics of FLOW (matter & information) and FORM (geometry, order & topology) to uncover biological FUNCTIONS (behaviour & response) in diverse microbial systems and their interfaces. Curvature, particularly in the context of microbe-environment interactions, plays a key role in mediating microbial behaviour and physiology across scales. We use cross-disciplinary approaches spanning physics, biology, engineering, mathematics and machine learning to capture the BEHAVIOUR, RESPONSE and RESILIENCE of microorganisms under environmental constraints mimicking those due to shifts in climate and lifestyle choices.
WG3: Curvature & Single Cells
Aleš Iglič
University of Ljubljana
Slovenia
Laboratory of Physics,
Faculty of Electrical Engineering
My main research activities are related to electrostatics, mechanics, dynamics and statistical physics of cells and artificial lipid membrane surfaces; interactions of nanoparticles with cell membrane and charged inorganic nanostructured surfaces; isolation, characterization and theoretical modelling of cell membrane nanostructures and synthesis and modification of inorganic nanostructured surfaces and particles.
WG4: Curvature & the collective behaviour of cells (Tissues)
Andreas Roschger
Paris Lodron University of Salzburg
Austria
Chemistry and Physics of Materials
When investigating the principles of tissue growth on the cellular level, we need to explore the mechanical properties on a micro length scale. I want to understand the tricks that nature uses to create complex shapes and link the findings to tissue development. Especially for bone growth, much is to learn about the connections between physical principles and the biology of tissue formation.
WG4: Curvature & the collective behaviour of cells (Tissues)
Silvia Mihăilă
Utrecht University
The Netherlands
Utrecht Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences
My research focuses on developing advanced in vitro models of epithelial tissues to precisely investigate their functional complexities. By manipulating well-defined biochemical, topographical, and flow cues, I influence cellular maturation and differentiation, enabling a thorough examination of the intricate interplay between cells and their environment. Ultimately, this research aims to elucidate the mechanisms underlying altered cellular functionality, a crucial factor in understanding disease initiation.
WG4: Curvature & the collective behaviour of cells (Tissues)
Ioannis Papantoniou
KU Leuven
Belgien
Department of Development & Regeneration
My main research interests focus on engineering tissues for skeletal defect regeneration. Curvature is one of the drivers of neotissue formation and may guide morphogenesis. In other cases it act as agent for tissue growth arrest. Hence understanding these principles design rules could be extracted leading to rational bioprocesses for living implant engineering.
WG5: Curvature across the scales
Jens Vinge Nygaard
Aarhus University
Denmark
Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering - Medical Biotechnology
My scientific works relates to the fabrication of open foams for drug delivery, tissue regeneration, and mechanotransduction of biological cells. I use computational and experimental methods to analyse nano- and microstructural foam response. My most significant contributions are mechanical and chemical programming of stem cells in foams, and my usage of computer simulations to risk assess the occurrences of stroke and models that provided new insight to Alzheimer's.