Cellular mechanics involves both cellular inner dynamics (e.g. contraction of the cytoskeleton), which results in creation of mechanical forces transmitted also to the surroundings, and responses of cells to external forces applied. In addition, the behaviour of cells is influenced by the stiffness of the environment they are in contact with, as well as its topography and roughness. My work is focussed on building experimental methods and means to examine the response of cells to substrate geometry (contact guidance) and mechanical properties (mechanotaxis) as well as to substrate dynamics (cellular mechanotransduction)

C. M. Ceşa: 'Microstructured Elastomer Films to Measure Dynamic Traction Forces of Living Animal Cells with High Spatial Resolution - Establishment of the Technique and First Results on Cardiac Myocytes' -  PhD Thesis, Berichte des Forschungszentrums Jülich, 4186 (2005).

C. M. Ceşa, N. Kirchgeßner, D. Mayer, U. S. Schwarz, B. Hoffmann, R. Merkel: „ Micropatterned Silicone Elastomer Substrates for High Resolution Analysis of Cellular Force Patterns“, Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol.78, No.3, 034301 (2007).

B.Hoffmann, R. Merkel, N. Hersch, C. M. Ceşa: „Verfahren zur Herstellung eines Elastomers und Elastomer“, Patent DE 2005 005 121.9-43 (04.02.2005).

R. Merkel, N. Kirchgeßner, C. M. Ceşa, B. Hoffmann: „Cell Force Microscopy on Elastic Layers of Finite Thickness”, Biophysical Journal, Vol.93, (2007).

A. Kajzar, C. M. Ceşa, N. Kirchgeßner, B. Hoffmann, R. Merkel: “Towards Physiological Conditions for Cell Analyses: Forces of Heart Muscle Cells Suspended Between Elastic Micropillars”,  “Biophysical Journal”  94:1854-1866 (2008).

Ovidiu D. Gordan, Bo N.J. Persson, Claudia M. Ceşa, Dirk Mayer, Bernd Hoffmann, Sabine Dieluweit and Rudolf Merkel: "On Pattern Transfer in Replica Molding", Langmuir, 24 (13), 6636-6639, 2008

Description of work

Dr. Claudia Mariana Cesa

Publications