Mechanics and dynamics of biological adhesion (A08)

• Subject Area: Statistical Physics, Nonlinear Dynamics, Complex Systems, Soft and Fluid Matter, Biological Physics
• Term: from 2011 to 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 178321814

Cellular adhesion is the result of a competition between specific short-range attractive forces, medium- range repulsive interactions and long-range elastic interactions. The goal of this project is to address these different length scales and to investigate the formation, strength and dynamics of clusters of adhesion bonds that form in the contact zone. Particularly, by employing a hierarchy of model systems, we will investigate how the dynamic strength of individual adhesion bonds, the presence of repeller molecules and the elastic properties as well as internal and external forces of the envelope (cell cortex) influence this optimal cluster size with the maximum lifetime or strength.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 937: Collective Behaviour of Soft and Biological Matter
• Major Instrumentation: ECIS
• Applicant Institution: Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
• Co-Applicant Institution: Max-Planck-Institut für Dynamik und Selbstorganisation (MPIDS)
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Andreas Janshoff; Dr. Marco Tarantola, since 1/2015