Speaker: Amin Doostmohammadi, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen

Title: Interacting Active Matter

Abstract: I will focus on the interaction between different active matter systems. In particular, I will describe recent experimental and modeling results that reveal how interaction forces between adhesive cells generate activity in the cell layer and lead to a potentially new mode of phase segregation. I will then discuss mechanics of how cells use finger-like protrusions, known as filopodia, to interact with their surrounding medium. First, I will present experimental and theoretical results of active mirror-symmetry breaking in subcellular skeleton of filopodia that allows for rotation, helicity, and buckling of these cellular fingers in a wide variety of cells ranging from epithelial, mesenchymal, cancerous and stem cells. I will then describe in-vivo experiments together with theoretical modeling showing how during embryo development specialized active cells probe and modify other cell layers and integrate within an active epithelium.