Colloquium Ehrenfestii by Jean François Joanny (Collège de France) on "Cell deformation and mechanics of epithelial tissues".

Abstract: The mechanical properties of tissues can be studied either at a macroscopic scale of the tissue or at the mesoscopic scale of the cell. The macroscopic description must include the non-conservation of the cell number due to cell division and cell death and leads to a non-conventional hydrodynamic theory. At the mesoscopic scale, we use a so-called vertex model which starts from a geometrical description of an individual cell. The aim of the lecture is to show on a simple example how one can derive the macroscopic properties of the tissue by a coarse-graining of the mesoscopic vertex model. Our main result is an explicit calculation of the cell pressure in the homeostatic state of a confined growing tissue. We show that the homeostatic pressure can be negative and depends on the existence of mechanical residual stresses. 

The Colloquium Ehrenfestii takes place Wednesday evenings starting at 19:30 hours in the main auditorium of the Oort building. Before the Colloquium, there is a common dinner in the canteen located on the ground floor of the Oort building. This dinner starts at 18:00 hours sharp and is free of charge, under the condition that one attends the colloquium and that one has made a reservation before noon on the Tuesday preceding the colloquium.

More information (including online link and link to register for the preceding dinner) can be found on this website.