Clément Campillo on how cells change their shape via the actin cortex
Clément Campillo is an associate professor at Evry Paris-Saclay University, south of Paris in France.
With his team, he is studying how the actin cortex, a dynamic network of proteins located beneath the membranes of living cells, can change the shape of the cell. These changes, induced by the actin cortex, are involved in many biological functions of cells.
Clément’s team specialises in physical measurements and the link between mechanical properties and biological functions. Using this expertise, they are studying the physical mechanisms underlying the changes in cell shape induced by the actin cortex.
To do this, the team manipulates both artificial systems and living cells, in particular oocytes, for which Clément has adapted the techniques he learned in synthetic cell research to study the mechanical properties (controlled by actin) that allow oocytes to develop into embryos.
In the video below, Clément tells us more about his team’s research.
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