Claire Dessalles
@clairedessalles.bsky.social
Postdoc @RouxLab.bsky.social investigating topological defects and morphogenesis. PhD was on tensile stresses and endothelial cells.
Pinned
Interplay of actin nematodynamics and anisotropic tension controls endothelial mechanics
Nature Physics - Blood flow through a vessel deforms vessel walls. Cells lining these walls sense the changes in pressure as blood flows and reorient their actin fibres in the direction of largest...
rdcu.be
Very happy and excited to share our latest work linking actin nematodynamics and endothelial cell mechanics under anisotropic tension, now published in @natphys.nature.com ! rdcu.be/eigWi
@ipparis.bsky.social @polytechniqueparis.bsky.social
@ipparis.bsky.social @polytechniqueparis.bsky.social
Glad to see this project out! Huge effort of all and in particular Guillaume for the 3D segmentation of cells. 👏
If you are interested in how cells pack themselves in 3D, please check it out 👀 👇
If you are interested in how cells pack themselves in 3D, please check it out 👀 👇
Guillaume Pernollet shows that epithelial cells adjust their shape to locally flatten, forming scutoids for any geometry, changing our view of cell packing. Thanks to all! @clairedessalles.bsky.social @juanmagararc.bsky.social @sciencesunige.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
January 20, 2026 at 11:04 AM
Glad to see this project out! Huge effort of all and in particular Guillaume for the 3D segmentation of cells. 👏
If you are interested in how cells pack themselves in 3D, please check it out 👀 👇
If you are interested in how cells pack themselves in 3D, please check it out 👀 👇
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
How does a ball of cells become an embryo? Genes matter—but physics (forces, geometry, topology) drives self-organization. Hervé Turlier's research vision on the physics of embryogenesis👇
shorturl.at/761x9
#Embryogenesis #Biophysics #Morphogenesis
@college-de-france.fr @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social
shorturl.at/761x9
#Embryogenesis #Biophysics #Morphogenesis
@college-de-france.fr @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social
January 20, 2026 at 10:16 AM
How does a ball of cells become an embryo? Genes matter—but physics (forces, geometry, topology) drives self-organization. Hervé Turlier's research vision on the physics of embryogenesis👇
shorturl.at/761x9
#Embryogenesis #Biophysics #Morphogenesis
@college-de-france.fr @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social
shorturl.at/761x9
#Embryogenesis #Biophysics #Morphogenesis
@college-de-france.fr @cnrsbiologie.bsky.social
Multiscale curvature!
@marineluciano.bsky.social recreates intestinal Villi geometry by growing epithelial cells on wavy rolling substrates. Unexpected intrication of curvature effects is observed. Thanks to all! @caterinatomba.bsky.social @sgabriele.bsky.social @sciencesunige.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
January 20, 2026 at 10:48 AM
Multiscale curvature!
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
Analysis of 3D epithelial tissue packing reveals correlated patterns of cell height and skewing https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.14.699560v1
January 15, 2026 at 8:46 PM
Analysis of 3D epithelial tissue packing reveals correlated patterns of cell height and skewing https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.14.699560v1
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
Cells can sense the geometry of their environment, from tiny subcellular features to whole-tissue patterns. How can we engineer environments to systematically probe these responses?
🧵 I'm @lhinderling.bsky.social from @olivierpertz.bsky.social lab, let’s do a short tour on microfabrication!
🧵 I'm @lhinderling.bsky.social from @olivierpertz.bsky.social lab, let’s do a short tour on microfabrication!
December 14, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Cells can sense the geometry of their environment, from tiny subcellular features to whole-tissue patterns. How can we engineer environments to systematically probe these responses?
🧵 I'm @lhinderling.bsky.social from @olivierpertz.bsky.social lab, let’s do a short tour on microfabrication!
🧵 I'm @lhinderling.bsky.social from @olivierpertz.bsky.social lab, let’s do a short tour on microfabrication!
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
If you or your trainees are just getting started with image analysis of cells & are #CellProfiler -curious, here is a fairly thorough walk-through demo I did recently. Loading files, extracting metadata (fun with Regex!), identifying objects, measuring, filtering, QC, exporting:
youtu.be/fO5nJdhj_7I
youtu.be/fO5nJdhj_7I
Introduction to CellProfiler - by a biologist, for biologists!
YouTube video by CellMorphoJSero
youtu.be
December 4, 2025 at 12:37 PM
If you or your trainees are just getting started with image analysis of cells & are #CellProfiler -curious, here is a fairly thorough walk-through demo I did recently. Loading files, extracting metadata (fun with Regex!), identifying objects, measuring, filtering, QC, exporting:
youtu.be/fO5nJdhj_7I
youtu.be/fO5nJdhj_7I
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
Exciting new #Zebrafish research from the #WeinsteinLab, led by Jong Park!
“Specialized gas-exchange endothelium of the zebrafish gill” —
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Amazing to see red blood cells moving through the gills! Don’t forget to check out the supplemental movies ;-)
“Specialized gas-exchange endothelium of the zebrafish gill” —
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Amazing to see red blood cells moving through the gills! Don’t forget to check out the supplemental movies ;-)
December 2, 2025 at 10:48 PM
Exciting new #Zebrafish research from the #WeinsteinLab, led by Jong Park!
“Specialized gas-exchange endothelium of the zebrafish gill” —
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Amazing to see red blood cells moving through the gills! Don’t forget to check out the supplemental movies ;-)
“Specialized gas-exchange endothelium of the zebrafish gill” —
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...
Amazing to see red blood cells moving through the gills! Don’t forget to check out the supplemental movies ;-)
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
New preprint! Do you like ocean waves? We found similar waves on bacterial colonies! We found that this collective behavior, known as rippling, is nothing but surface waves on an active nematic. @princeton.edu @mpipks.bsky.social @ub.edu @icreacommunity.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
December 2, 2025 at 8:02 PM
New preprint! Do you like ocean waves? We found similar waves on bacterial colonies! We found that this collective behavior, known as rippling, is nothing but surface waves on an active nematic. @princeton.edu @mpipks.bsky.social @ub.edu @icreacommunity.bsky.social
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
Super excited to start as an ICREA Research Professor at the University of Barcelona! Really happy to join fantastic colleagues at @icreacommunity.bsky.social and @ub.edu.
www.icrea.cat/community/ic...
www.icrea.cat/community/ic...
ICREAs Fitxa - ICREA
Something went wrong
www.icrea.cat
December 2, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Super excited to start as an ICREA Research Professor at the University of Barcelona! Really happy to join fantastic colleagues at @icreacommunity.bsky.social and @ub.edu.
www.icrea.cat/community/ic...
www.icrea.cat/community/ic...
📢Internships on cellular nematics!
🔬Come for the pretty images, stay for the cool physics: each project combines in vitro experiments with advanced microscopy and image analysis.
📧Feel free to DM or email me with any questions.
🔬Come for the pretty images, stay for the cool physics: each project combines in vitro experiments with advanced microscopy and image analysis.
📧Feel free to DM or email me with any questions.
December 2, 2025 at 3:15 PM
📢Internships on cellular nematics!
🔬Come for the pretty images, stay for the cool physics: each project combines in vitro experiments with advanced microscopy and image analysis.
📧Feel free to DM or email me with any questions.
🔬Come for the pretty images, stay for the cool physics: each project combines in vitro experiments with advanced microscopy and image analysis.
📧Feel free to DM or email me with any questions.
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
New paper from the @rouxlab.bsky.social on Nature Communications! We study how membrane tension is spatially organized in cells. Using the mechanosensitive probe Flipper-TR to visualize tension across the plasma membrane of adherent cells and to dissect the conditions needed for a gradient to happen
November 27, 2025 at 2:14 PM
New paper from the @rouxlab.bsky.social on Nature Communications! We study how membrane tension is spatially organized in cells. Using the mechanosensitive probe Flipper-TR to visualize tension across the plasma membrane of adherent cells and to dissect the conditions needed for a gradient to happen
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
Tissue stress measurements — our latest preprint is out: arxiv.org/abs/2512.00550
(publication coming soon!)
Fantastic work by the three musketeers — @luanger.bsky.social, @andreasschoenit.bsky.social and @fanny-wodrascka.bsky.social — in collaboration with P. Marcq!
(publication coming soon!)
Fantastic work by the three musketeers — @luanger.bsky.social, @andreasschoenit.bsky.social and @fanny-wodrascka.bsky.social — in collaboration with P. Marcq!
Tissue stress measurements with Bayesian Inversion Stress Microscopy
Cells within biological tissue are constantly subjected to dynamic mechanical forces. Measuring the internal stress of tissues has proven crucial for our understanding of the role of mechanical forces...
arxiv.org
December 2, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Tissue stress measurements — our latest preprint is out: arxiv.org/abs/2512.00550
(publication coming soon!)
Fantastic work by the three musketeers — @luanger.bsky.social, @andreasschoenit.bsky.social and @fanny-wodrascka.bsky.social — in collaboration with P. Marcq!
(publication coming soon!)
Fantastic work by the three musketeers — @luanger.bsky.social, @andreasschoenit.bsky.social and @fanny-wodrascka.bsky.social — in collaboration with P. Marcq!
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
New preprint from the lab!!🎉
We show that Asgard archaea ESCRT-III proteins can trigger membrane fission and reveal its molecular mechanism, offering clues to how these cells may have built internal compartments. But do these organisms even have these compartments?
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We show that Asgard archaea ESCRT-III proteins can trigger membrane fission and reveal its molecular mechanism, offering clues to how these cells may have built internal compartments. But do these organisms even have these compartments?
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Molecular basis for cellular compartmentalization by an ancient membrane fission mechanism
The emergence of cell compartmentalization depends on membrane fission to create the endomembrane compartments. In eukaryotes, membrane fission is commonly executed by ESCRT-III, a protein complex con...
www.biorxiv.org
December 1, 2025 at 9:09 AM
New preprint from the lab!!🎉
We show that Asgard archaea ESCRT-III proteins can trigger membrane fission and reveal its molecular mechanism, offering clues to how these cells may have built internal compartments. But do these organisms even have these compartments?
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We show that Asgard archaea ESCRT-III proteins can trigger membrane fission and reveal its molecular mechanism, offering clues to how these cells may have built internal compartments. But do these organisms even have these compartments?
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
Vous faites des études de physique mais vous ne savez pas quel métier faire ? J'ai rédigé pour la Société française de physique @sfp-physique.bsky.social une description de nombreux métiers accessibles, à travers les témoignages de celles et ceux qui les exercent.
www.metiersdelaphysique.fr
www.metiersdelaphysique.fr
Métiers de la physique
www.metiersdelaphysique.fr
December 1, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Vous faites des études de physique mais vous ne savez pas quel métier faire ? J'ai rédigé pour la Société française de physique @sfp-physique.bsky.social une description de nombreux métiers accessibles, à travers les témoignages de celles et ceux qui les exercent.
www.metiersdelaphysique.fr
www.metiersdelaphysique.fr
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
Hi, I’m David Brückner @davidbrueckner.bsky.social.
I’ll take you through how cells in a tissue can use information distributed by biochemical gradients to make decisions, and how we can measure such positional information.
buff.ly/RFxVeHh
I’ll take you through how cells in a tissue can use information distributed by biochemical gradients to make decisions, and how we can measure such positional information.
buff.ly/RFxVeHh
November 15, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Hi, I’m David Brückner @davidbrueckner.bsky.social.
I’ll take you through how cells in a tissue can use information distributed by biochemical gradients to make decisions, and how we can measure such positional information.
buff.ly/RFxVeHh
I’ll take you through how cells in a tissue can use information distributed by biochemical gradients to make decisions, and how we can measure such positional information.
buff.ly/RFxVeHh
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
Microfluidic pumping with active nematics! Self-organized and self-sustained. No external pumps.
@pnas.org @ub.edu
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
#ActiveMatter #Microfluidics #SoftMatter
@pnas.org @ub.edu
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
#ActiveMatter #Microfluidics #SoftMatter
Active nematic pumps | PNAS
Microfluidics involves the manipulation of flows at the microscale, typically requiring
external power sources to generate pressure gradients. Alte...
www.pnas.org
November 12, 2025 at 7:20 PM
Microfluidic pumping with active nematics! Self-organized and self-sustained. No external pumps.
@pnas.org @ub.edu
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
#ActiveMatter #Microfluidics #SoftMatter
@pnas.org @ub.edu
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
#ActiveMatter #Microfluidics #SoftMatter
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
Launching celldynamicslab.com, the homepage of our new group at EPFL working on cell fragmentation, membrane and cortex mechanics, FLIM imaging, and microfluidics tools. MSc/PhD or postdocs interested in quantitative cell biology are welcome to reach out. We're also hiring a lab manager in 2026!
Main - Cell Dynamics and Fragmentation Lab
The Cell Dynamics and Fragmentation lab at We study how single cells move and fragment in complex environments using microfluidics. We bring tools and concep...
celldynamicslab.com
November 11, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Launching celldynamicslab.com, the homepage of our new group at EPFL working on cell fragmentation, membrane and cortex mechanics, FLIM imaging, and microfluidics tools. MSc/PhD or postdocs interested in quantitative cell biology are welcome to reach out. We're also hiring a lab manager in 2026!
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
Amazing story 😍
Just scan through it. Sophisticate, delicate and elegant 💥
Will read it in details again when time allows😋
Just scan through it. Sophisticate, delicate and elegant 💥
Will read it in details again when time allows😋
Really excited to present the results of a fantastic collaboration with Jesse Veenvliet @jesseveenvliet.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de @poldresden.bsky.social 🤩
We find a unique mechanism for body axis elongation in mammals, different from other vertebrate species
➡️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We find a unique mechanism for body axis elongation in mammals, different from other vertebrate species
➡️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 28, 2025 at 6:43 PM
Amazing story 😍
Just scan through it. Sophisticate, delicate and elegant 💥
Will read it in details again when time allows😋
Just scan through it. Sophisticate, delicate and elegant 💥
Will read it in details again when time allows😋
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
Really excited to present the results of a fantastic collaboration with Jesse Veenvliet @jesseveenvliet.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de @poldresden.bsky.social 🤩
We find a unique mechanism for body axis elongation in mammals, different from other vertebrate species
➡️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We find a unique mechanism for body axis elongation in mammals, different from other vertebrate species
➡️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
October 28, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Really excited to present the results of a fantastic collaboration with Jesse Veenvliet @jesseveenvliet.bsky.social @mpi-cbg.de @poldresden.bsky.social 🤩
We find a unique mechanism for body axis elongation in mammals, different from other vertebrate species
➡️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
We find a unique mechanism for body axis elongation in mammals, different from other vertebrate species
➡️ www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
Borges, A., Miranda-Rodriguez, J. R., Ceccarelli, A., Ventura, G., Sedzinski, J., Lopez-Schier, H., & Chara, O. (2025). ForSys: non-invasive stress inference from time-lapse microscopy. iScience, 28, 113685. #EpithelialMechanics
buff.ly/jQ96TCK
buff.ly/jQ96TCK
October 24, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Borges, A., Miranda-Rodriguez, J. R., Ceccarelli, A., Ventura, G., Sedzinski, J., Lopez-Schier, H., & Chara, O. (2025). ForSys: non-invasive stress inference from time-lapse microscopy. iScience, 28, 113685. #EpithelialMechanics
buff.ly/jQ96TCK
buff.ly/jQ96TCK
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
If you’re applying to your dream lab for an internship/PhD/postdoc, always send a second email 1-2 weeks after the first one if you don’t hear back.
I promise we will be grateful rather than annoyed. My email inbox is a disaster and I’m quite junior - and very few of us have secretarial support
I promise we will be grateful rather than annoyed. My email inbox is a disaster and I’m quite junior - and very few of us have secretarial support
October 4, 2025 at 5:47 AM
If you’re applying to your dream lab for an internship/PhD/postdoc, always send a second email 1-2 weeks after the first one if you don’t hear back.
I promise we will be grateful rather than annoyed. My email inbox is a disaster and I’m quite junior - and very few of us have secretarial support
I promise we will be grateful rather than annoyed. My email inbox is a disaster and I’m quite junior - and very few of us have secretarial support
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
New preprint from the lab! We discovered a transient fluidization in the basal region of human forebrains by tracking microdroplets in cerebral organoids.This “basal fluidization”, absent in gorilla and mouse, may contribute to greater surface expansion in human forebrains
1/
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
1/
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
October 8, 2025 at 1:05 PM
New preprint from the lab! We discovered a transient fluidization in the basal region of human forebrains by tracking microdroplets in cerebral organoids.This “basal fluidization”, absent in gorilla and mouse, may contribute to greater surface expansion in human forebrains
1/
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
1/
doi.org/10.1101/2025...
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
Fluorescence lifetime estimation: a practical approach using Flipper-TR FLIM by Juan Manuel Garcia-Arcos and team: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
September 26, 2025 at 1:29 PM
Fluorescence lifetime estimation: a practical approach using Flipper-TR FLIM by Juan Manuel Garcia-Arcos and team: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Reposted by Claire Dessalles
An incredibly comprehensive and meticulous study of Flipper-TR lifetime analysis to make your membrane tension measurements using Flipper-TR more robust and reliable.
Thanks to @juanmagararc.bsky.social and @rouxlab.bsky.social for this very valuable resource!
Thanks to @juanmagararc.bsky.social and @rouxlab.bsky.social for this very valuable resource!
🚨 New preprint out!
“Fluorescence lifetime estimation: a practical approach using Flipper-TR FLIM” with Tithi Mandal and @rouxlab.bsky.social
We benchmark and describe step-by-step Flipper-TR FLIM measurements across different set-ups and and strategies.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
“Fluorescence lifetime estimation: a practical approach using Flipper-TR FLIM” with Tithi Mandal and @rouxlab.bsky.social
We benchmark and describe step-by-step Flipper-TR FLIM measurements across different set-ups and and strategies.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Fluorescence lifetime estimation: a practical approach using Flipper-TR FLIM
Flipper-TR is a membrane dye sensitive to lipid packing widely used to probe membrane tension in live cells via fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). However, no consensus currently exists ...
www.biorxiv.org
October 7, 2025 at 8:21 AM
An incredibly comprehensive and meticulous study of Flipper-TR lifetime analysis to make your membrane tension measurements using Flipper-TR more robust and reliable.
Thanks to @juanmagararc.bsky.social and @rouxlab.bsky.social for this very valuable resource!
Thanks to @juanmagararc.bsky.social and @rouxlab.bsky.social for this very valuable resource!
All you've ever wanted to know about FLIM analysis (and its application in Flipper-TR)!😱🤩🔬
🚨 New preprint out!
“Fluorescence lifetime estimation: a practical approach using Flipper-TR FLIM” with Tithi Mandal and @rouxlab.bsky.social
We benchmark and describe step-by-step Flipper-TR FLIM measurements across different set-ups and and strategies.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
“Fluorescence lifetime estimation: a practical approach using Flipper-TR FLIM” with Tithi Mandal and @rouxlab.bsky.social
We benchmark and describe step-by-step Flipper-TR FLIM measurements across different set-ups and and strategies.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...
Fluorescence lifetime estimation: a practical approach using Flipper-TR FLIM
Flipper-TR is a membrane dye sensitive to lipid packing widely used to probe membrane tension in live cells via fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). However, no consensus currently exists ...
www.biorxiv.org
October 7, 2025 at 1:54 PM
All you've ever wanted to know about FLIM analysis (and its application in Flipper-TR)!😱🤩🔬