Welcome to the
Mechanobiology & Biomaterials group
at the University of Mons

We seek to understand how the physico-chemical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) regulate signaling pathways and cellular functions. To this aim, we control the cell microenvironment to modulate the cell-substrate adhesions, which are coupled to the contractile cytoskeleton to form major sites of force transmission. This mechanical coupling enables cells to sense, adapt and respond to physical changes in the environment. Our goal is to identify how mechanical constraints and force transmission can regulate important biological processes such as tissue repair, tumor metastasis and morphogenesis. We also study how micro-environmental signals can alter the nuclear morphology , its mechanical architecture and how it integrates with the transcriptional networks .

Our experimental approach of cell mechanics takes advantage of physical-chemistry of soft condensed matter and engineering sciences to address physiological questions at single-cell and tissue levels. We use a multidisciplinary approach that includes custom-built cell culture substrates, microforce assays, soft hydrogels, photopolymerization techniques, protein micropatterning, advanced optical microscopy, molecular and cell biology techniques and genetically-modified cell lines.