PhD in Biophysics. Cell-Matrix interactions (M/F)

The researcher will work at the interdisciplinary laboratory of physics (LIPHY) on the Grenoble Campus, in the Cell Mechanics in complex medium (MC2) under the supervision of Claude Verdier, Valérie Laurent and Daria Tsvirkun (for the biology part).
Collaboration with partners at TIMC Lab in Grenoble ( (Angélique Stephanou et Arnold Fertin) in the framework of the MoDyMécA ANR project.

This study is part of the ANR MoDyMécA project, which aims to investigate the role of the mechanical and biochemical environment on endothelial cell migration on 2D substrates or within complex fibrous gels. The aim is to understand the dynamics of neo-vessel formation required to create a network feeding a tumor.
It has been shown that the presence of biochemical factors is not sufficient to explain the migration mechanisms of isolated endothelial cells, or of cell populations. This is why we propose to take into account the role of environmental mechanics. First, endothelial cells placed on collagen-coated 2D substrates will be observed to characterize their movement and the forces involved (TFM, Traction Force Microscopy). The rheological properties of the gels will be finely controlled. Next, the movement of these cells in a 3D fibrous matrix will be studied, and microscopic observation of the collagen fibers in fluorescence (reflectance technique) will enable the displacement field and associated forces to be calculated. In both cases, matrix degradation by the cells will be quantified.
The experimental part of this project will be used to calibrate the mathematical model developed by our partners in Grenoble (TIMC). The aim is to develop a model for predicting cell dynamics, taking into account the complexity of the substrate (fibrous medium, viscoelastic properties), cell-matrix interactions and the ability of cells to remodel this matrix. Ultimately, the model will be able to describe the movement of one or more cells interacting with the matrix.