Research Topics

Biological cells are sophisticated soft machines, which are able to self-organize into intricate dynamic structures, process incoming information, and actively respond to various perturbations. Recent advances in micro- and nano-technologies allow for the bottom-up reconstitution of soft cell-mimicking compartments, with a goal to create synthetic cells. The key element that remains unsolved is the emergence of dynamic cellular structures from local interactions between internal cell components. We develop and use computational models of soft active systems and synthetic cells, in order to advance our understanding of their self-organization and behavior.

Blood flow in the microcirculation plays a profound role in various physiological processes and pathologies in the organism. For instance, alterations in tissue perfusion induced by diseases (e.g., cancer, malaria) and the cessation of bleeding after an injury (hemostasis) are important conditions, where computational modeling can help identify relevant physical mechanisms. We employ modeling at the cellular level to better understand the microvascular perfusion and related biological processes.