Lightsheet Microscope

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Understanding the mechanical principles governing the function of biological systems is a key goal of modern research. The importance of cell and tissue mechanics is fundamental for a quantitative description of the dynamical processes occurring during development and tissue formation but also in cancer. We study the collective and individual migration patterns of cells using light sheet microscopy, that allows to generate rapid 3D volumes of tissue, organisms and cancer spheroids which represent a model system for tumors. By marking the cell nuclei, we track all individual cells of a tissue, and are thus able to quantify the tissue flow fields and migration characteristics. Using elastic hydrogel beads embedded in the tissue we are furthermore able to determine the mechanical tension in the tissue. By using an active fluid approach this enables us to understand to which extend the global dynamical motion is driven by passive physical interactions, and where active force generation is required for a consistent description. The resulting quantitative models will then be checked by interfering with the systems using either local damage by photoablation or by triggering local contraction of the tissue using optogenetics. Currently, the combination of 3D cell tracking with light sheet based photomanipulation is not explored, and we aim to fill this gap with the projects detailed in this application.