Event
Bioengineering Seminar Series: Jochen Guck
Friday, October 30, 2015
9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
Pepco Room (1105), Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building
Dr. Giuliano Scarcelli
scarc@umd.edu
Jochen Guck
Alexander von Humboldt Professor
Cellular Mechanics, Biotechnology Center
Dresden University of Technology
Do biological cells care about physics?
While most current biological research focuses on molecular, biochemical aspects of cell and their functioning, we are interested in their global physical properties. I will discuss our recent findings that the mechanical properties of cells determine the physical limits of cell function, for example in cell migration. Cell mechanics can therefore be used to characterize cells, to monitor physiological changes and to diagnose pathological alterations, such as cancer progression. Another example for the importance of physics in biology are the optical properties of cells, specifically in the retina. We have shown that there are cells in the retina that act as optical fibers and that photoreceptor cells even invert their usual nuclear chromatin arrangement to turn them into micro-lenses. Both aspects improve the light transmission through the retina and help to mitigate the disadvantage of its inverted structure. These results provide novel insight into the importance of physics for biological function and even offer new diagnostic and therapeutic avenues for further exploration.
About the Speaker
Dr. Jochen Guck received his PhD in Physics from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001. After several years as a group leader at the University of Leipzig (Germany), he moved to the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge as a Lecturer in 2007 and was promoted to Reader in Biophysics in 2009. Since 2012 he is Professor of Cellular Machines at the Biotechnology Center of the Technische Universität Dresden (Germany). His research centers on exploring the global physical properties of biological cells and tissues and their importance for the cells` function and behavior. He also develops novel photonic, microfluidic and scanning-force probe techniques for the study of these optical and mechanical properties. The ultimate goal is utilizing this insight for novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. His work has been recognized by several awards, amongst them the Cozzarelli Award of the National Academy of Sciences in 2008, the Paterson Prize and Medal of the Institute of Physics in 2011 and an Alexander-von-Humboldt Professorship in 2012.
