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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 22: Biomechanics (joint focus session with jDPG)

BP 22.1: Hauptvortrag

Mittwoch, 13. März 2013, 15:00–15:30, H6

Active Mechanical Processes in Cells and Tissues — •Frank Jülicher — Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzerstrasse 38, 01187 Dresden

Living cells are extraordinarily dynamic and have the ability to generate movements and forces. This is particularly striking in the case of swimming microorganisms or the process of cell division. A key example for force generating processes in cells is the operation of molecular motors that interact with filaments of the cytoskeleton. In the cell, cytoskeletal networks form gel-like materials with unconventional active material properties that are the consequence of force generating processes. Active cellular processes have also interesting effects on larger scales. Tissues are collections of many cells which can also be considered as active media. Active processes in tissues result e.g. from cellular dynamics, cellular force generation and cell division. These processes introduce mechanical stresses and permit active rearrangements and flows in tissues. In recent years it has become increasingly clear that cells and tissues can also respond to mechanical conditions. Furthermore, there is evidence that mechanical feedbacks may be important in pattern formation processes by which complex organisms form in a developmental process from a single fertilized egg cell. Theoretical approaches are important to characterize the principles which govern the behaviors of active biomaterials and the formation of patterns. Furthermore, theoretical descriptions of cell dynamics and multicellular systems provide a key tool to understand complex dynamics observed in quantitative experiments in vitro and in vivo.