Take a look at what we’re working on…
FastDDM is a robust Python package we engineered to streamline the analysis of Differential Dynamic Microscopy experiments. Dive into the core of FastDDM and discover how its integration with C++ and CUDA elevates performance, offering rapid and precise execution on both CPU and GPU. For more information contact M. Lavaud.
Coupling rheometry with microscopy, we study the dynamics of soft materials like pastes, emulsions and gels, undergoing shear flow. This method allows us to measure the macroscopic mechanical properties of the material and simultaneously track embedded microparticles to assess the localized shear-induced diffusion. We design and prototype and/or improve custom-made instruments, develop codes (LabVIEW, MatLab) and perform image Processing. For more information contact N. Kalafatakis.
Through particle image velocimetry (PIV) we can probe dynamical changes in cellular monolayers, their velocity correlation lengths and directional alignments and orderedness. A different perspective on cellular dynamics comes from following the trajectories of single cells within a monolayer, which provides the general quantity mean square displacement (MSD) and its scaling behaviour over time, opening a porthole into the dynamics of a cellular monolayer as it ages. For more information contact F. Krautgasser.
Mechanobiology delves into the mechanisms by which cells produce forces essential for their functions and tissue integrity, encompassing the conversion of mechanical stimuli into biochemical signals across different scales. Using rheo-microscopy we investigate the role of cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions in the overall rheological response of tissues under both physiological and pathological (tumor) conditions. For more information contact J. Di Franco.