Vernerey Soft Matter Mechanics Group
Welcome to theÌýVernerey Soft Matter Mechanics Group.ÌýOur group’s multiscale approach offers tools to decode the mechanical behavior of complex living materials and their engineering analogs, aiding our comprehension of the role of mechanics in biology (growth and morphogenesis) and the design of soft materials (gels and polymers).
Our research group aims to develop a theoretical and computational framework for morphogenesis grounded in the fundamental rules of cell-cell interaction, mechano-biological feedback, and collective behavior at the cellular scale. By uncovering how mechanics interact with genetic and biochemical signaling, we seek to understand how living systems grow, organize, and form complex structures. Such a modeling framework will help explain and guide the emergence of form and function both in living matter and engineered living materials (ELMs).
With this approach, we will not only gain insight into the role of mechanics in development and tissue formation, but also define principles for controlling morphogenesis using smart biomaterials. These advances will enable the design of adaptive, responsive ELMs for applications in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and soft robotics, and contribute to a deeper understanding of how living systems compute and build with matter.
Three areas of current research are on the following topics:Ìý
1. The large-scale organization of complex networks in biological and man-made polymers, with particular emphasis on how their complex architecture (whether static or dynamics) controls their mechanical behavior and resilience.Ìý
2. The mechanisms that control the intelligent sensing, response and adaptation of living bio-polymer networks.Ìý We particularly study how the cooperativity and collective motion within the cell wall of plants and fungi mediate its response (phototropism, helical growth, gravitropism,..)
3. Collective decision and motion in networks of living agents with emphasis on understanding the role of individual and collective rules between agents during Ìýgrowth, morphogenesis and disease. Our two model systems are dense cell networks in organoids (bone) and fire-ant aggregations.
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