Science

The research interest of the group is mainly focused on adhesion of living and model cells. The adhesion of cells is a fundamental biological process with implications for functions ranging from tissue morphogenesis to immune response. Very often, the primary focus in cell adhesion research is on identification of the relevant adhesion proteins and signaling pathways. However, for a complete description, it is essential to also understand the physics underlying the processes that govern adhesion. In order to study a complex phenomenon like cell adhesion, in-vitro experiments using cell mimetic systems are often useful since the experimental conditions can be better controlled. Moreover, the simplicity of such systems facilitates theoretical modeling. The insight gained from such bio-mimetic studies can then be applied to real cells. In our research, on one hand I try to make realistic models of adhering cells using giant unilamellar vesicles, and on the other hand I study the adhesion of real cells under biomimetic conditions to assess the relevance of the vesicle models.