Single cell dynamics using microfabricated tools: from cell biology to immune therapies - IPBS-Toulouse, Seminar Room

The immune response is a paradigm of the physiological significance of cell migration for the innate and adaptive immune responses. Cell motility allows fast leukocyte re-localization in response to infections to avoid threats spreading in the body. For example, neutrophils circulate in the blood and upon infection they pass through the activated endothelium to reach the site of damage. This forces cells to pass through microenvironments with radically different physical and chemical properties (blood, endothelium, 3D matrix, stroma) to finally reach the infection. We hypothesize that specific cellular mechanisms have evolved in leukocytes to make them capable to sense and adapt to almost any 3D landscape in the body. Therefore, failures in this capacity should lead to immune disorders. To investigate this process of adaptation, the Leukomotion Lab takes advantage of mouse and human cellular models to investigate at the single cell level the subcellular machinery that allow fast motility in 3D microenvironments. For that, we use microfabricated devices that allow us to control with precision the microenvironment in which cells move. In this seminar, I will discuss recent advances on nuclear adaptations for fast cell migration in 3D and how cell motility might serve as approach to find new treatments for immune diseases.