Next student seminar :
Access to the program
Here you can find information about your internships:
Experimental Internship - Undergraduate program
Master ICFP first year Internship
News : ICFP Research seminars
November 14 - 18, 2022 :
All information about the program
Contact us - Student support and Graduate School office :
Tél : 01 44 32 35 60
enseignement@phys.ens.fr
Next student seminar :
Access to the program
Here you can find information about your internships:
Experimental Internship - Undergraduate program
Master ICFP first year Internship
News : ICFP Research seminars
November 14 - 18, 2022 :
All information about the program
Contact us - Student support and Graduate School office :
Tél : 01 44 32 35 60
enseignement@phys.ens.fr
Faculty : Pierre Sens, Sylvie Hénon
Tutor :
ECTS credits :
Language of instruction} : English
Description :
In this course, we will lay the physical basis for a quantitative description of biological cells. After a general introduction on the structure of cells and the relevant molecular components and physical scales, we will show how the concepts developed to study soft matter, the mechanics of complex media, and in- and out-of-equilibrium statistical mechanics can be used to describe and understand living matter.
Topics covered:
A short introduction to cell and tissues biology, structure/function, key molecules and orders of magnitude. Why a physical approach to cell biology
Brownian motion. Langevin equation. Fluctuation-dissipation theorem.
Out-of-equilibrium fluctuations in living systems.
Reaction rates: Diffusion-limited reactions, enzyme kinetics, first passage time, physical limits to bacteria chemotaxis
Physics of DNA: Bending and torsional elasticity, topological constrains. Single molecule experiments
Cytoskeleton proteins: Single filament (Actin, microtubules): Rigidity, dynamics, polymerization force, Motor proteins: non-equilibrium thermodynamics
Cell mechanics: Viscoelastic properties of cells and tissues. Force generation by cells. Mechanotransduction
Physics of biological membranes: Elasticity and statistical mechanics of membranes. Physics of membrane proteins
Low Reynolds number hydrodynamics. Stokes equation. Scallop Theorem. Bacteria motion.
Next student seminar :
Access to the program
Here you can find information about your internships:
Experimental Internship - Undergraduate program
Master ICFP first year Internship
News : ICFP Research seminars
November 14 - 18, 2022 :
All information about the program
Contact us - Student support and Graduate School office :
Tél : 01 44 32 35 60
enseignement@phys.ens.fr