Cell physics
Cell physics
The Cell Physics team characterizes self-organization of cells, cell motion, cell division, morphogenesis of tissues in vitro and in vivo. The projects involve synergized approaches between theoretical physics, cell biology, microfabrication.
For more details, see : riveline.igbmc.science

Members
Researchers
PhD students
Current projects
Self-organisation in living matter : from cell motility and cytokinesis to morphogenesis
- Cell motility: Ratchetaxis and Scallop Theorem
Publications.
How a cell moves from a point A to a point B in the absence of long range gradient.
- Lammelipodia growth promoter: supramolecular compounds specific to actin
Publications.
Synthetic polyamines trigger growth of lamellipodia within minutes (scale bar 20μm).
- Cytokinesis: myosin clusters dynamics and rings constriction across systems
Publications.
Myosin clusters dynamics determine the evolutions of cytokinetic rings visualized in a single focal plane with micro-fabricated cavities (myosin, scale bar 5μm).
- Morphogenesis in vitro: collective effects in cells
Publications.
Elongation of an epithelial colony results from nematic fields and topological defects (scale bar 50μm).
- Scaling and injections of fission yeast
Publications.

Asymmetric division : Scaling arguments predict the localisation of septum correlated with differences in cell ends (left).
Fission yeast behaves as a balloon and can be injected (right, scale bar 5μm).
- Reinforcement of focal contacts and cell-cell junctions (adherens junctions and hemidesmosomes)
Publications.

Adhesive contacts elongate with local forces within minutes (compare top and bottom, scale bar 5μm).
They recruit adhesion proteins while keeping their matter density constant.
For more details see : riveline.igbmc.science
Collaborations and networks
- HFSP coordinator 2018 with Alf Honigmann (MPI-CBG Dresden), Anne Grapin-Botton (Danstem, Copenhagen), Masaki Sano (University of Tokyo)
- SNF 2019 with Olivier Pertz (University of Bern), Damian Brunner (University of Zurich), Karsten Kruse (University of Geneva)
Funding and partners
- HFSP coordinator 2018 with Alf Honigmann (MPI-CBG Dresden), Anne Grapin-Botton (Danstem, Copenhagen), Masaki Sano (University of Tokyo)
- SNF 2019 with Olivier Pertz (University of Bern), Damian Brunner (University of Zurich), Karsten Kruse (University of Geneva)
News

A dashboard to study cell movement
Individual cells move in vivo in complex 3D environments. Their motion occurs at zero force and requires symmetry breaking. In this study at the…
Read more
Awards and recognitions
- HFSP coordinator 2018
- Fellowship Simone et Cino del Duca 2011
- ATIP CNRS 2010
Resources
See the website for the Cell Physics Master at the University of Strasbourg
Publications
2025
Article in a journal
Interplay between Rac1/RhoA and actin waves in giant epithelial cells: Experiment and theory
- Rémi Berthoz
- He Li
- Marie André
- Michèle Lieb
- Lucien Hinderling
- Benjamin Grädel
- Jakobus van Unen
- Olivier Pertz
- Karsten Kruse
- Daniel Riveline
Biophysical Journal ; Page: Online ahead of print
Article in a journal
Tube into pearls: A membrane-driven pearling instability shapes platelet biogenesis
- Catherine Leon
- N. Brassard-Jollive
- David Gonzalez-Rodriguez
- Daniel Riveline
Molecular Biology of the Cell ; Volume: 36
Pre-publication, Working Document
Interaction dynamics between epithelial cysts captured by tissue rheology
- Marie André
- Linjie Lu
- Michèle Lieb
- David Gonzalez-Rodriguez
- Daniel Riveline
Article in a journal
Myosin cluster dynamics determines epithelial wound ring constriction
- Alka Bhat
- Rémi Berthoz
- Simon Lo Vecchio
- Coralie Spiegelhalter
- Shigenobu Yonemura
- Olivier Pertz
- Daniel Riveline
iScience ; Volume: 28 ; Page: 113030
Article in a journal
Teach your microscope how to print: low-cost and rapid-iteration microfabrication for biology
- Lucien Hinderling
- Remo Hadorn
- Moritz Kwasny
- Joël Frei
- Benjamin Grädel
- Sacha Psalmon
- Yannick Blum
- Rémi Berthoz
- Alex E Landolt
- Benjamin D Towbin
- Daniel Riveline
- Olivier Pertz
Lab on a Chip ; Volume: 25 ; Page: 4091-4105
Article in a journal
Generic comparison of lumen nucleation and fusion in epithelial organoids with and without hydrostatic pressure
- Linjie Lu
- Kana Fuji
- Tristan Guyomar
- Michèle Lieb
- Marie André
- Sakurako Tanida
- Makiko Nonomura
- Tetsuya Hiraiwa
- Yara Alcheikh
- Siham Yennek
- Heike Petzold
- Cecilie Martin-Lemaitre
- Anne Grapin-Botton
- Alf Honigmann
- Masaki Sano
- Daniel Riveline
Nature Communications ; Volume: 16 ; Page: 6307
Article in a journal
Predicting organoid morphology through a phase field model: Insights into cell division and lumenal pressure
- Sakurako Tanida
- Kana Fuji
- Linjie Lu
- Tristan Guyomar
- Byung Ho Lee
- Alf Honigmann
- Anne Grapin-Botton
- Daniel Riveline
- Tetsuya Hiraiwa
- Makiko Nonomura
- Masaki Sano
PLoS Computational Biology ; Volume: 21 ; Page: e1012090
2024
Article in a journal
Tight junctions control lumen morphology via hydrostatic pressure and junctional tension
- Markus Mukenhirn
- Chen-Ho Wang
- Tristan Guyomar
- Matthew Bovyn
- Michael Staddon
- Rozemarijn van der Veen
- Riccardo Maraspini
- Linjie Lu
- Cecilie Martin-Lemaitre
- Masaki Sano
- Martin Lehmann
- Tetsuya Hiraiwa
- Daniel Riveline
- Alf Honigmann
Developmental Cell ; Volume: 59 ; Page: 2866-2881.e8
Article in a journal » Review article
Acto-myosin clusters as active units shaping living matter
- Karsten Kruse
- Rémi Berthoz
- Luca Barberi
- Anne-Cécile Reymann
- Daniel Riveline
Current Biology ; Volume: 34 ; Page: R1045-R1058
Pre-publication, Working Document
Asymmetry of acto-myosin cortices as active fluids shape cells in organoids
- Tristan Guyomar
- Linjie Lu
- Tetsuya Hiraiwa
- Daniel Riveline