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About the school

Core activities 

The school will explore techniques to investigate mechanobiological processes from single molecules to tissues and constituent cells. Specifically, the following techniques will be covered with hands-on practical sessions, and backed up by lectures delivered by world-leading experts in the field: 

  • Single molecule force spectroscopy to measure the mechanical properties of single molecules
  • Atomic force microscopy to measure the mechanical properties of single cells and tissue samples
  • Traction force microscopy to measure cell-exerted tractions on tissue-mimicking hydrogels
  • Acoustic force spectroscopy to measure cell-matrix adhesion forces in high throughput 
  • Fluorescence lifetime Imaging microscopy and Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) to measure membrane tension in single cells
  • Bulk rheology to measure the mechanical properties of tissue-mimicking hydrogels 


Poster session

The participants are invited to bring and present a poster, showing the core of their research project. The poster will be held on the first day of the School, at the Advanced Research Center, and will be a great opportunity to know each other and share ideas. Thanks to the support of the Institute of Physics (IoP), there will be a prize of £250 for the best poster. 

FEBS has twin commitments to high-quality publications and the promotion of molecular biosciences. As a charitable academic organization,
FEBS uses income from the journals to fund its diverse activities, including support for FEBS Advanced Courses.

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