Morphodynamics of Living Systems in Complex Environments
TWO-DAY LIFE SCIENCE ENGINEERING MINI-SYMPOSIUM
(talk six)
Abstract:
Spatial organization in crowded spaces plays a crucial role in the functioning of living systems across scales––from molecular processes inside cells to microbial colonies in natural habitats such as soils and hosts. In the first part of my talk, I will discuss how growing microbial colonies get their shape in 3D complex environments. While laboratory studies of single species in well-mixed cultures or flat colonies have provided valuable insights into bacterial cellular processes, they fail to capture the spatial arrangements found in natural settings. By integrating experiments with biophysical modeling, I will show how colonies growing in 3D granular environments develop architectures, driven by differential access to nutrients, that fundamentally differ from their flat-culture counterparts. In the second part of my talk, I will briefly shift focus to biomolecular phase separation into condensates––an emerging mechanism for intracellular organization. Although condensate size is often crucial for biological function, the mechanisms governing size regulation and self-organization remain elusive. Using the algal pyrenoid as an experimental model, I will highlight general biophysical principles that control condensate size and their implications for cellular function. Taken together, these findings reveal new principles for predicting and controlling the organization of living systems in complex, crowded environments.
Bio:
Alejandro Martinez-Calvo is a postdoctoral scholar in the Center for the Physics of Biological Function and the Physics Department at Princeton University. He earned a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics at UC3M, Spain, before completing a PhD in Physics of Fluids at UC3M under the supervision of Alejandro Sevilla. His doctoral work addressed fundamental problems in fluid mechanics and soft matter, focusing on fluid-fluid interfaces with complex chemo-mechanical properties arising from absorbed molecules. At Princeton, Alejandro pivoted into the fields of biophysics and quantitative biology, working with the groups of Ned Wingreen and Sujit Datta. As a Human Frontier Science & PCTS independent fellow, Alejandro has pursued a broad range of research directions with a unifying thread: how living matter self-organizes and functions in 3D complex settings that mimic real-life environments. To address outstanding fundamental questions about the collective behavior of living systems, Alejandro combines theory, computation, and experimental approaches.
Zoom link for attending remotely, if needed: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/69315453283
(talk six)
Abstract:
Spatial organization in crowded spaces plays a crucial role in the functioning of living systems across scales––from molecular processes inside cells to microbial colonies in natural habitats such as soils and hosts. In the first part of my talk, I will discuss how growing microbial colonies get their shape in 3D complex environments. While laboratory studies of single species in well-mixed cultures or flat colonies have provided valuable insights into bacterial cellular processes, they fail to capture the spatial arrangements found in natural settings. By integrating experiments with biophysical modeling, I will show how colonies growing in 3D granular environments develop architectures, driven by differential access to nutrients, that fundamentally differ from their flat-culture counterparts. In the second part of my talk, I will briefly shift focus to biomolecular phase separation into condensates––an emerging mechanism for intracellular organization. Although condensate size is often crucial for biological function, the mechanisms governing size regulation and self-organization remain elusive. Using the algal pyrenoid as an experimental model, I will highlight general biophysical principles that control condensate size and their implications for cellular function. Taken together, these findings reveal new principles for predicting and controlling the organization of living systems in complex, crowded environments.
Bio:
Alejandro Martinez-Calvo is a postdoctoral scholar in the Center for the Physics of Biological Function and the Physics Department at Princeton University. He earned a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics at UC3M, Spain, before completing a PhD in Physics of Fluids at UC3M under the supervision of Alejandro Sevilla. His doctoral work addressed fundamental problems in fluid mechanics and soft matter, focusing on fluid-fluid interfaces with complex chemo-mechanical properties arising from absorbed molecules. At Princeton, Alejandro pivoted into the fields of biophysics and quantitative biology, working with the groups of Ned Wingreen and Sujit Datta. As a Human Frontier Science & PCTS independent fellow, Alejandro has pursued a broad range of research directions with a unifying thread: how living matter self-organizes and functions in 3D complex settings that mimic real-life environments. To address outstanding fundamental questions about the collective behavior of living systems, Alejandro combines theory, computation, and experimental approaches.
Zoom link for attending remotely, if needed: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/69315453283
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
- Prof. Felix Naef, & Prof. Matteo Dal Peraro, School of Life Sciences, EPFL
Contact
- Institute of Bioengineering (IBI), Dietrich REINHARD