Our lab focusses on the impact of the environment on cellular properties. In particular, we are interested in the interplay between cell function, cell mechanics and mechanics of the environment. To this end, we characterize and manipulate cell properties with a variety biophysical techniques. One goal is to develop artificial cellular microenvironments with finetuned mechanical and biochemical properties that optimize cell differentiation and cell growth.

Current projects involve the characterizations of cellular forces using force-sensing surfaces, the mechanical characterization of cells and cytosceletal components as well as the highly precise measurement of the interactions of cell adhesion proteins with their complexation partners.