Project description
Physical confinement and immune cell movement
Cell migration is fundamental to many biological processes, including immune defence, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. As cells move through dense tissues, they encounter physical constraints that deform and confine them. However, it remains poorly understood how cells sense and adapt to these mechanical cues. Emerging evidence suggests that confinement profoundly influences migratory behaviour, but the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been systematically characterised. With the support of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the MENCOADYN project aims to develop a theoretical framework that links molecular mechanisms of confinement adaptation to cell migratory dynamics. Focusing on immune cells, researchers will investigate how the organisation and contractility of the cell cortex under confinement shape cell migration.
Objective
The fate and function of migratory cells is intrinsically linked to their dynamics, which determines for instance their sampling efficiency or their invasive capacity. Previously neglected, the interplay between cells and their environment is emerging as a critical determinant of this dynamics. Interstitial tissues constitute packed environments that are rarely homogeneous or regular, subjecting cells to large and changing deformations as they move through them. Recent findings suggest that cells adapt to confinement and display different migratory phenotypes depending on their environment. However, how confinement is encoded in the cell and the mechanisms by which it affects its dynamics are still poorly understood.
To address this, I propose a novel approach that explicitly links molecular mechanisms of confinement adaptation in cells to tissue-scale migratory dynamics using theoretical tools. Leveraging coarse-grained bottom-up models, data-driven inference techniques and non-Markovian active particle models, this strategy establishes precise and tractable relations between confinement and cell dynamics through the relevant internal degrees of freedom, essential for understanding cell-environment interplay and its functional implications. Focusing on immune cells, I will apply this framework to investigate how actomyosin cortex organisation and contractility under confinement affects their migratory phenotype.
Offering unprecedented insights into how cells encode and adapt to confinement, this project could revolutionise our understanding of migratory cell dynamics and its determinants in physiologically relevant environments. Deciphering the mechanisms governing immune cell migration could lead to new therapeutic targets and strategies for immune system disorders. Beyond its biological relevance, this project also paves the way for future research into adaptive synthetic active matter with targeted behaviours in heterogeneous environments.
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Keywords
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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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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
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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.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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75006 Paris
France
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