Join Professor Edouard Hannezo of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) for a research seminar as part of the Force Talk series entitled "Robustness of morphogenesis via mechano-chemical feedbacks".

Abstract:

A central question in biology is how genetic information is integrated across many length scales to shape and pattern cells, organs and organisms. Theoretical biophysics have proven instrumental in proposing minimal conceptual frameworks to understand the self-organizing potential of living matter, as well as to identify key predictions that can be verified experimentally. However, a key feature of multicellular development is not simply the emergence of increasing complex shapes and form, but the fact that this process is robust and reproducible. In this talk, I will present two recent works from our group on understanding how checkpoints for robustness can emerge from simple mechanical principles. Firstly, in the context of intestinal organoid morphogenesis, we show how mechano-sensitive feedbacks can give rise to mechanical bistability, rendering morphogenesis robust to subsequent mechanical perturbations once it’s completed. Secondly, in the context of early mammalian embryogenesis, we show how mechanical compaction can buffer developmental variability and allow embryos to converge towards robust shapes.

Speaker:

Edouard Hannezo is a professor of Theoretical Biophysics. After a PhD in the Institut Curie and a postdoc in Cambridge University, he started his group in IST Austria in 2017, with tenure since 2022. The Hannezo group is particularly interested in design principles and processes of self-organization in biology, at various scales, in close collaboration with cell and developmental biologists. Their methods include tools from solid and fluid mechanics, statistical physics as well as soft matter approaches.

Mechanics of Life Leverhulme DSP Force Talks Series

Force Talks is a seminar series hosted by the Mechanics of Life Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme at King's College London. We are honoured to welcome world leaders in mechanobiology.

The series aims to showcase the rapidly expanding interdisciplinary field of mechanobiology and mechanical forces. We welcome those from academia and industry to attend and take part in the discussions.

The programme is funded by the Leverhulme Trust doctoral scholarship grant "Understanding the mechanics of life".

Learn more about the Mechanics of Life Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarship Programme

How to join:

This event will take place online via Microsoft Teams. Register for this event to receive a calendar invitation and updates by clicking "Go to this event".

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