Gijsje Koenderink
The Koenderink lab is an experimental research group centered around the soft matter physics of living matter. Our central aim is to understand the physical mechanisms that enable living matter (cells and tissues) to combine mechanical strength with the ability to actively generate forces and change shape. To this end, we combine concepts and methods from soft matter physics, biophysics, synthetic biology, and mechanobiology. Through collaborations, the research also extends to food and biomedical materials and research into implications of abnormal cell/tissue mechanics for cancer metastasis, fibrosis, osteoarthritis and thrombosis.