Seeing how biology feels: Imaging the mechanisms of force transduction

I am interested in the role that mechanical forces play in biology. Nature has exploited the intrinsic physical properties of polymers to build networks of biopolymer filaments and associated proteins, called the cytoskeleton, which can exert the tensile and contractile forces within cells required for cell functions such as cell motion and cell division. I will present results from experiments using reconstituted cytoskeletal biopolymers to investigate how these filaments define intracellular organization and mechanics. I will also present results from experiments that probe how elements of the cytoskeleton generate forces to carry out a critical step in cell division, the physical separation of duplicated chromosomes and their subsequent segregation to progenitor cells. This is essential to ensure the proper distribution of genetic material to each cell.