Project Details
Projekt
Confocal microscope for imaging and mechanical characterization of multicellular systems
Subject Area
Basic Research in Biology and Medicine
Term
Funded in 2026
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 571476277
How stem cells can organize themselves and form functional tissue is an open question tackled also by biophysicists in Ulm. In recent years, in addition to the biophysics of genetic regulation (Gebhardt group), the role of mechanical forces has become an independent field of research termed mechanobiology. The newly appointed research group of Prof. Serwane is investigating the interaction of cellular forces and the formation of neuronal networks. How do mechanical signals control the formation of networks of neurons? In order to have an accessible in vitro model for neuronal tissue, the Serwane group uses neuronal organoids grown from stem cells. To characterize the organoids, a confocal microscope is required which allows imaging on scales from 100nm to several millimeters (subcellular -> tissue), as well as on a timescale from a few milliseconds to several days. Simultaneous measurements of mechanics and cell dynamics are the key to answering the question of how neuronal systems self-organize and could lay the foundation for optimizing this growth. In order to exert mechanical forces in growing neuronal tissue, the research group uses a specially developed technique - ferrofluid microdroplets that are injected into the tissue and deformed by means of a magnetic field. The technique requires mounting custom setups for biophysical manipulation, such as the magnets for generating the magnetic fields, in the immediate proximity to the sample. This requires the replacement of the condenser of the confocal microscope and the attachment of a translation stage. In a second line of research, the Serwane group plans to read out neuronal signals in organoids in order to gain a fundamental understanding of network formation and at the same time advance the modeling of retinal diseases. Through calcium imaging, electrical signals generated by neuronal activity are visualized and analyzed using statistical physics methods. This not only enables the investigation of signal transmissions within the network, but also provides insights into pathological changes that occur in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly in the retina. The combination of 4D imaging on the subcellular scale, mechanical characterization and culture of neuronal organoids, as well as the biophysical quantification of single molecules will enable the Ulm biophysicists to advance mechanobiology research and the application of organoids as model systems for diseases.
DFG Programme
Major Research Instrumentation
Major Instrumentation
Konfokalmikroskop zur Abbildung und mechanischer Charakterisierung von multizellulären Systemen
Instrumentation Group
5040 Spezielle Mikroskope (außer 500-503)
Applicant Institution
Universität Ulm
