3D Lab Development, Differentiation & Degeneration

The project lies in the interphase of physics, chemistry and biology and is focused on interrogating basic cell functions with new silicon microdevices. We designed and develop silicon chips to study intracellular processes in real time, from a different perspective. In the lab, we use in vitro cell lines to detect, for example, intracellular pressure or pH changes in living cells and we also use model systems, like Dictyostelium discoideum, to analyse cell movement and phagocytosis. The read-out of the experiments includes confocal and real time microscopy and immunohistochemistry. These microdevices can be functionalized with biomolecules and nano-structured with precise forms or shapes to study different cell processes from inside the cell.