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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Vice Grant Awarding Coordinator

Rui Travasso

University of Coimbra

Portugal

Department of Physics

In my research I use models of soft condensed matter physics to describe biological systems such as blood vessel growth, tissue irrigation, tumor growth, and cell shape, adhesion and motility.

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)

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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)

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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

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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.

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