3 year Post-Doctoral Position - in silico mechanical modelling of cell migration

=11.0pt3-year Post-Doctoral Fellowship available from June-september 2023In silico modelling of cell migration on substrates with dynamic topography=10.0pt =10.0ptContact:=10.0pt =10.0pt         =10.0ptAssistant Professor Jean-Louis Milan Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser.=10.0pt=10.0ptInterdisciplinary Group of Osteoarticular and Cardiovascular Biomechanics =10.0ptInstitute of Movement Sciences (=10.0ptUMR CNRS&AMU=10.0pt) =10.0pthttps://ism.univ-amu.fr =10.0pt =10.0ptSainte Marguerite Hospital     =10.0ptMarseille (FRANCE)

=10.0pt=10.0ptCandidate skills & knowledge=10.0ptNo specialized education in cell biology is required, but the candidates must possess theoretical and technical knowledge in cell physics and computational mechanics. Skills in programing language (python, C++) are welcome.=10.0pt=10.0ptContext of the study=10.0ptIn vitro experiments have shown that cell migration is influenced by the curvature of the substrate. Moreover, the latest research now focuses on new in vitro technics to cultivate and study cells with surfaces that can dynamically change their curvature and produce travelling waves. Travelling waves may guide cell migration in a given direction over longer time and longer distance. Understanding how a dynamically evolving surface can influence cell behavior may provide new insights into what happens as an organism develops during morphogenesis and during tissue regeneration. In our lab, we are developing a computer model of cell migration to study how travelling waves can affect cell behavior. The simulation will provide an in silico proof-of-concept of dynamic curvature-driven cell migration.=10.0ptThe study is part of the MovingCells project (ANR-22-CE45-0010) funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) from 2022 to 2026. The MovingCells project includes the development of an experimental set-up able to produce travelling waves on cultured cells. In silico simulations will help the design of this experimental set-up.  The cell biology analyses will provide the final proof-of-concept for dynamic curvotaxis.=10.0pt =10.0ptOfficial document of MovingCells: =10.0pthttps://amubox.univ-amu.fr/s/NtARLxsJKY9oz5a =10.0pt =10.0ptPrevious works : =10.0ptVassaux 2019 =9.0pthttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006349519305909?dgcid=rss_sd_all =10.0pt  =10.0ptPieuchot 2018 =9.0pthttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-06494-6 =10.0pt .=10.0pt =10.0ptAim of the study=10.0ptThe Post-Doc will use our latest in silico mechanobiological model of the cell migration based on lamellipodium protrusion and cytoskeleton dynamics. The Post-Doc will investigate in silico how static and dynamic shapes influence cell migration and how moving waves can be used to stimulate and guide cell migration.=10.0ptFirst results are displayed here: =10.0pthttps://amubox.univ-amu.fr/s/pDkBwy2MrxeXnqZ =10.0pt =10.0pt =10.0ptThe Post-Doc will improve the design of the current model by upgrading from 2D to 3D. He or she will integrate the nucleus as the mechanosensor of the topography and the nucleus-golgi vector as a polarizing factor of cell migration. =10.0ptThe Post-Doc will sharpen his/her skills in programming, data analysis, scientific writing, cell biology. In addition, he or she will have the opportunity to use tools used in mechanical engineering, software development and game design. =10.0pt =10.0ptPerspectives of the study=10.0ptThis kind of simulation will help the design of innovative biomaterials, scaffolds or matrices for tissue engineering aimed at promoting cell migration and cell invasion. Such materials could also promote cell quiescence, proliferation or differentiation by controlling only the topography.