Cell-Cell Interactions
One of the biggest challenges in contemporary biology is to understand how cells integrate chemical and physical signals to drive self-assembly, which underpins the formation of complex architectures such as tissues and organs.
Cell-cell adhesions and Cell-matrix interactions are crucial for mechanical and chemical information exchange, and forms the fundamental basis of many biological processes, from organ development to pathogen entry. We want to understand the biochemistry and biophysics of cell-cell interactions, by looking at the proteins, lipids and sugars that make up cellular interfaces, and tracking their dynamic changes across complex physiological structures (e.g. organoids, organotypics, tissues). Major tools include light (STED, imaging mass spectrometry) and electron microscopy (cryo-ET), as well as (bio)chemical tool development to analyze and edit the molecules that make up cell surfaces.
