Team 3
Biology and Physiopathology of the Spinal Cord

Surface Energy and Cell Mechanics as Drivers of Neuronal Growth and Nerve Repair

Regeneration of the nervous system after injury or disease remains a major challenge, particularly as the population ages. This process depends on many physical and biochemical parameters, and the link between repair mechanisms and the elastic response of neurons and their environment is still poorly quantified.

Our team studies how surface physical chemistry, in particular local gradients in adhesion energy, can guide axonal growth and neuronal differentiation without growth factors such as NGF. Using atomic force microscopy and picosecond ultrasonics, we also map the mechanical properties of neurons at the micrometric scale.

Based on these results, we aim to translate this knowledge into biomaterials and implantable devices that actively support nerve repair.