Regensburg 2013 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 22: Biomechanics (joint focus session with jDPG)

BP 22.2: Invited Talk

Wednesday, March 13, 2013, 15:30–16:00, H6

Cell mechanics: An experimental biophysicist's perspective — •Jochen Guck — Biotechnology Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany

The mechanical properties of cells are increasingly being investigated and it is well worth taking a closer look why. From a physics point of view, they prescribe the response to external forces and define the limits of a cell's interaction with its three-dimensional physical environment. Largely determined by the cytoskeleton, an internal polymer network regulated by intricate biochemical processes, cell mechanics also has an important biological component. The cytoskeleton is central to many biological functions, evolves during the normal differentiation of cells, and is characteristically altered in many diseases, including cancer. In this presentation I will review this link between physical description and biological function, describe some of the methods to measure cell mechanics and try to communicate the fascination of this topic from a personal point of view.