Project description
The dynamic and adaptive responses of cells
Biology-based robotics may one day soon save millions of lives with artificial organs and tissues generated from stem cells. The first step, however, is to gain a better understanding of cells and their dynamic and adaptive responses to external forces. The EU-funded PHOTOMECH project will explore force-controlled cell functions. It will use a challenging and novel photomechanical cell stimulation approach. Specifically, the project will combine new materials containing photoswitchable molecules with a complex optical system employing intense laser light pulses. By pulsing the laser, it can apply controllable force stimuli on cells through a conformational change of the photoswitchable molecules. The project will collect previously unobtainable physical information within cells on multiple size scales.
Objective
Generating artificial organs and tissues from stem cells would revolutionize regenerative medicine and open the door to controllable, biology-based robotics. These systems require a physical understanding of cells, specifically their dynamic and adaptive responses to external forces. This mechanotransduction is already known to control important cellular functions, and even stem cell differentiation. With the project proposed here, I plan to bring our quantitative understanding of force-controlled cell functions to a new level by a challenging and novel photomechanical cell stimulation approach. It will combine new materials containing photoswitchable molecules with a complex optical system employing intense laser light pulses. By pulsing the laser, we can apply controllable force stimuli on cells through a conformational change of the photoswitchable molecules. I hypothesize that cell functions, such as adhesion, migration and differentiation, have a huge systematic dependency on frequency, duration, history, and intensity of the force stimuli. Importantly, the method I propose applies forces to cells solely via light and does not require genetic modifications. Using this novel strategy for photomechanical stimulation of cellular proteins, we will be able to collect previously unobtainable physical information within cells on multiple size scales, from the single molecule to tissue level. Using the laser like a pen, we will be able for the first time to write cell functions in 3D, imitating the growth of the cellular scaffolds in living creatures: a completely new means of photomechanically controlling multicellular structures. Ultimately, the tools and materials we study in this interdisciplinary project will allow for the writing of multicellular structures in vitro and in vivo by force-induced mechanotransduction in stem cells. It will lead to a paradigm-shift in many fields, from biophysics to regenerative medicine, synthetic biology and biohybrid robotics.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been validated by the project's team.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2020-COG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
69117 Heidelberg
Germany
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