In vivo model for the mechanics of brain development (A05)

• Subject Area: Developmental Neurobiology ; Biophysics
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 460333672

A05 will use Xenopus laevis to study the mechanobiology of brain development in vivo. We will develop a time-lapse in vivo atomic force microscopy (tiv-AFM) approach to map brain tissue viscoelasticity at cellular resolution. We will then investigate how disease-associated mutations in candidate genes identified in A02, such as SLC35A2 or mTOR signalling, impact tissue mechanics and cell motility in the developing brain. Finally, we will manipulate brain mechanics to test if restoring tissue viscoelasticity to physiological values is sufficient to rescue phenotypes that would normally be caused by genetic mutations associated with brain malformations.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1540: Exploring Brain Mechanics (EBM): Understanding, engineering and exploiting mechanical properties and signals in central nervous system development, physiology and pathology
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Project Head: Professor Dr. Kristian Franze