Understanding Adhesion in Living Materials
Event details
| Date | 10.12.2025 |
| Hour | 10:00 › 11:00 |
| Speaker | Maja Vuckovac, Ph.D., Aalto University, Espoo (SF) |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
2-DAY BIOE MINI-SYMPOSIUM on Measurement Technologies
(talk two / previous talk / next talk)
Abstract:
My research tackles a central problem in bioengineering: we cannot predict how soft, wet, living materials adhere. This is because the physics at the mesoscale, where mechanics, fluid flow, and electrostatics couple, remains invisible to existing tools. I address this with a physics-first strategy: I build simplified model systems to isolate fundamental interactions and design the instruments to quantify them. By progressively introducing biological complexity, we decode the physical principles of living adhesion. I will present this journey from the Scanning Droplet Adhesion Microscope for surface heterogeneity, to the Soft Matter Adhesion Microscope (SMAM) for hydrated gels, and toward the ERC-funded Electro-Adhesion Microscope to map forces and charge simultaneously. This approach provides the foundational principles for engineering tissue fusion, organoid assembly, and biointegrated devices.
Bio:
To be contributed.
Zoom link for attending remotely, if needed: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/66947851573
(talk two / previous talk / next talk)
Abstract:
My research tackles a central problem in bioengineering: we cannot predict how soft, wet, living materials adhere. This is because the physics at the mesoscale, where mechanics, fluid flow, and electrostatics couple, remains invisible to existing tools. I address this with a physics-first strategy: I build simplified model systems to isolate fundamental interactions and design the instruments to quantify them. By progressively introducing biological complexity, we decode the physical principles of living adhesion. I will present this journey from the Scanning Droplet Adhesion Microscope for surface heterogeneity, to the Soft Matter Adhesion Microscope (SMAM) for hydrated gels, and toward the ERC-funded Electro-Adhesion Microscope to map forces and charge simultaneously. This approach provides the foundational principles for engineering tissue fusion, organoid assembly, and biointegrated devices.
Bio:
To be contributed.
Zoom link for attending remotely, if needed: https://epfl.zoom.us/j/66947851573
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
- Prof. Georg Fantner, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, EPFL
Contact
- Institute of Bioengineering (IBI), Dietrich REINHARD