Missions

We are looking for a post-doc candidate in physics or biophysics, with experience in experimental work, to participate in a synthetic biology project within the framework of the European project "PushingCell" at the CNRS laboratory "Physics of Cells and Cancer" at the Institut Curie, in the team of P. Bassereau (Membranes and Cellular Functions). PushingCell is funded by the ERC and aims to identify the biological and physical processes that enable cells to move through a biological matrix in the absence of adhesion, by exploiting the topography of their environment. The consortium brings together two teams of physicists (theoreticians and experimentalists) and two teams of cell biologists.

Activités

The goal of the project is to develop an in vitro system based on giant liposomes and actin cytoskeleton–associated proteins that can move within a confined environment featuring surface irregularities, thereby mimicking the migration of non-adhesive immune cells. The system will consist of encapsulating within giant liposomes:
a) cell extracts,
b) a minimal mixture of proteins enabling actin polymerization from the membrane surface and contractility of the pseudo–actin cortex, which will have been defined through parallel studies in the laboratory. These liposomes will be confined in textured microfluidic channels. The project will determine the conditions that enable migration of this biomimetic cell and how this migration depends on confinement, surface topography, and physicochemical properties.

Compétences

We are looking for candidates with previous experience in the preparation and manipulation of model membranes systems and purified proteins, as well as in microfluidics. The candidate must be a highly motivated and dynamic scientist, interested in interdisciplinary work, able to communicate in English (oral and written skills).

Contexte de travail

This biophysics project will be carried out under the direction of Patricia Bassereau, as part of the ERC Synergy project PushingCell, in close collaboration with theoretical physicists (Pierre Sens, Physics of Cells and Cancer, Institut Curie) and cell biologists specializing in cell migration and actin (Michael Sixt, IST Austria, Vienna, Austria) and microtubules (Anna Akhmanova, University of Utrecht, Netherlands). The "Physics of Cells and Cancer" unit (UMR 168) brings together physicists and biologists working to discover the role of physical laws in the architecture and functions of cellular systems. More generally, the Institut Curie is located in the heart of the Latin Quarter in Paris, an area with a rich academic tradition. It offers a highly interdisciplinary and international working environment, with state-of-the-art imaging and cell and molecular biology platforms, as well as access to the IPGG's microfabrication and microfluidics platform.

Contraintes et risques

No specific risk