# Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich Group

**Source**: https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/team/pol-groups/fischer-friedrich
**Parent**: https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/contact

## Heisenberg Professor for Mechanics of Active Biomaterials

### Our Research Mission

Our lab investigates how mechanical forces influence the behavior and organization of living matter. We are particularly interested in:

- How mechanical stress alters the material properties and molecular composition of cells and tissues, and how this contributes to biological function
- How mechanical cues regulate cell and tissue growth, with a focus on development and disease contexts

### Research Focus Areas

We currently pursue these questions in four main research directions:

- Measuring the mechanical properties of the actin cytoskeleton in live cells
- Understanding how cell mechanics and the cytoskeleton influence cell proliferation, especially in cancer cells
- Investigating how mechanical tension is regulated in the plasma membrane
- Studying mechanical stress patterns during tissue development

Our work bridges experiment and theory to uncover the physical principles underlying cellular mechanics.

### Methods and Approaches

We use a combination of advanced experimental and theoretical techniques, including:

- Atomic force microscopy
- Cell culture and core biochemical techniques
- Live-cell and high-resolution optical microscopy
- Continuum mechanics and viscoelastic modelling
- Theoretical frameworks from dynamical systems and mathematical modelling

Figure 1: Epithelial fold during osmotic swelling in the larval wing disc of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. The video visualizes the basement membrane (green) and the hinge cells (magenta). Scale bars represent 10µm. Note that the tissue swells and the fold deepens concomitantly. After this, the tissue deswells after ≈15min due to active cell volume regulation. See doi:10.1002/apxr.202400062 for more details.

- [Fischer-Friedrich Group on Twitter](https://twitter.com/FBiotec "Fischer-Friedrich Group on Twitter")

### We’re hiring!

We have open positions for postdocs, graduate students and techs in our lab. If you are interested in our research and would like to join us,

- check out [**Open Positions**](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/career-education/open-positions) for current job offers or
- [email](mailto:elisabeth.fischer-friedrich@tu-dresden.de) me!

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We are looking for **postdocs** interested in basement membranes and cyst morphogenesis to apply with us for a Humboldt or Marie Curie fellowship. [Get in touch with Elisabeth](mailto:elisabeth.fischer-friedrich@tu-dresden.de)

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We are looking for graduates from the CMS Master program (or similar degree) for preparing an EXIST grant and the foundation of a start-up. The candidates should have experience in large data processing and image analysis. Interested? [Get in touch.](mailto:elisabeth.fischer-friedrich@tu-dresden.de)

### Research Avenues

- [RA5 – **Physical Measurements in Intact Living Systems**
  *(Primary Affiliation)*](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra5-physical-measurements-in-intact-living-systems)
- [RA1 – **Collective Transitions in Multicellular Systems**](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra1-collective-transitions-in-multicellular-systems)
- [RA3 – **Self-Organizing Active Molecular Systems**](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra3-self-organizing-active-molecular-systems)
- [RA4 – **Energy and Information Flows in Active Matter**](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/research/vision-research-avenues/ra4-energy-and-information-flows-in-active-matter)

### Contact

[elisabeth.fischer-friedrich@tu-dresden.de](mailto:elisabeth.fischer-friedrich@tu-dresden.de)\
 [+49 351 463-41257](tel:+4935146340325)

[Physics of Life at A18](https://physics-of-life.tu-dresden.de/en/contact#c25 "›› visit website of Physics of Life at A18")| Room 2.18