July 8th- 19th, 2019 | IFOM, Milan - Italy
Cells in tissues are highly organized and have specific shapes that are strongly linked to their biological functions. This geometrical and spatial organization is essential for tissues homeostasis and can be partially recapitulated in 2D cell culture forcing cells to acquire a specific shape in vitro.
Micro-patterning of adhesive molecules is a technique used to control the cell geometry. By forcing cell to adhere on micro-patterned surfaces it allows to partially mimic in 2D the complexity of the 3D cell micro-environment and to standardize the geometrical constrains of a cell population. This powerful and versatile technique has been successfully employed study the organization of the cell cytoskeleton, cell division and cell migration.
During the course students will learn a simple method to make micro-patterns and the basic knowledge of how to use microscopes to acquire images of fixed and living cells. They will quantitatively analyze their results and produce a report of their experiences.
