Please join us for a high-level scientific talk geared toward those at the graduate level and beyond at the Simons Foundation on 21st Street in Manhattan. Limited seating for this free event is available on a first-come, first-served basis. We encourage you to register now.
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A BODY MADE OF GLASS Life Sciences; Mathematics and Physical Sciences
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In this presentation, Lisa Manning will discuss the latest insights into how cells control the fluid-to-solid transition and thereby influence pattern formation at the scale of tissues and organs. Inspiration is drawn from recent breakthroughs in understanding the glass transition in non-biological materials. Cells cannot control traditional thermodynamic variables like temperature and pressure. Instead, they tune their stickiness and the forces they exert on surfaces or one another. When this tuning goes awry, diseases such as cancer, asthma and congenital malformations can arise. Analyzing the mechanical properties of these living materials may lead to better tools for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. Manning started her research career in the physics of glasses, i.e., how a disordered group of molecules or particles freezes into a rigid solid at a well-defined temperature. She then turned her attention to morphogenesis, the process by which embryos transform from a spherical egg to a shape we recognize as an insect, plant or mammal. She showed that aspects of this process could be modeled by surface tension in analogy with the description of immiscible liquids. Her most recent work uses ideas from the physics of glasses to describe the mobility of cells organized in sheets and applies them to a broad class of biological tissues, including embryos and cells from asthma patients. |
The Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium offers accessible seating to patrons with special access needs. Please fill out the special accommodations request when ordering your ticket online. Most events in the auditorium are video recorded by the organizer, and many are photographed. The resulting media may be used by the event organizer(s) on its website(s), or elsewhere. Audio or visual recording and photography by attendees is not permitted without prior approval of the organizer. |
Gerald D. Fischbach Auditorium
Simons Foundation 160 Fifth Avenue at 21st Street, 2nd Floor New York, NY 10010 |
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