EMBO Workshop — ImmunoBiophysics: From fundamental physics to understanding the immune response

Immune cells respond in a coordinated way to protect us from harmful pathogens like viruses and bacteria. The responses are mediated largely through direct cell-cell contacts, which allow cells to exchange biochemical signals and mechanical inputs. The contribution of mechanical forces to molecular and cellular function has fascinated biologists and physicists alike for more than a decade, and in recent years it has become evident that mechanical forces are fundamental to immune cell function. This workshop aims to address the important challenge of bridging the gap between molecular and cellular scales processes driving immune cell mechanotransduction. Motivated by exciting developments in the field, this EMBO Workshop, “ImmunoBiophysics #2: From fundamental physics to understanding the immune response” will focus on the immune response from a distinctly physical and mechanical perspective, bringing together experimentalists and theoreticians coming from both the physical and life science communities. Building on the highly successful virtual “ImmunoBiophysics” workshop held in 2021, this hybrid EMBO Workshop will promote collaborations on this emerging topic and foster a new transdisciplinary perspective