Kristian Franze

Key aspects in the development of the central nervous system (CNS) include the formation of neuronal axons, their subsequent growth and guidance through thick layers of nervous tissue, and the folding of the brain. All these processes involve motion and must thus be driven by forces. However, while our understanding of the biochemical and molecular control of these processes is increasing rapidly, the contribution of mechanics remains poorly understood. Cell motion is also crucially involved in CNS pathologies such as foreign body reactions, in which activated glial cells migrate towards and encapsulate implants (e.g., electrodes), and the failing regeneration of neurons after CNS (e.g., spinal cord) injuries. Repair can currently not be promoted. So far, research has - without any major breakthrough - mainly focused on chemical signals impeding and promoting neuronal (re)growth.

We are taking an interdisciplinary approach and investigate how cellular forces, local cell and tissue compliance and cellular mechanosensitivity contribute to CNS development and disease. Methods we are exploiting include atomic force microscopy, traction force microscopy, custom-built simple and complex compliant cell culture substrates, optical microscopy including confocal laser scanning microscopy and cell biological techniques. We have shown, for example, that nervous tissue is mechanically highly heterogeneous. Furthermore, we found that neurons constantly exert forces on their environment and that both neurons and glial cells respond to mechanical cues such as tissue stiffness. Understanding how and when CNS cells actively exert forces and respond to their mechanical environment will shed new light on CNS development, and it could eventually lead to novel biomedical approaches to treat or circumvent pathologies that involve mechanical signalling.

Kristian Franze qualified as a Veterinarian at the University of Leipzig in Germany, where he also obtained a PhD in Physics in 2007. After a postdoc at the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge, UK, he started his lab in 2011 at the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience in Cambridge. Kristian received several awards for his work, including an MRC Career Development Award, an HFSP Young Investigator Award, an ERC Consolidator Award, and an ERC Synergy Grant.  In 2020, he obtained an Alexander von Humboldt-Professorship to become the Director of the Medical Institute of Biophysics at FAU and of the newly founded Max Planck Zentrum für Physik und Medizin in Erlangen, Germany. The research of his lab focuses on how mechanical signals, such as cellular forces or tissue stiffness, contribute to regulating the development and regeneration of the nervous system.Kristian Franze qualified as a Veterinarian at the University of Leipzig in Germany, where he also obtained a PhD in Physics in 2007. After a postdoc at the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge, UK, he started his lab in 2011 at the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience in Cambridge. Kristian received several awards for his work, including an MRC Career Development Award, an HFSP Young Investigator Award, an ERC Consolidator Award, and an ERC Synergy Grant.  In 2020, he obtained an Alexander von Humboldt-Professorship to become the Director of the Medical Institute of Biophysics at FAU and of the newly founded Max Planck Zentrum für Physik und Medizin in Erlangen, Germany. The research of his lab focuses on how mechanical signals, such as cellular forces or tissue stiffness, contribute to regulating the development and regeneration of the nervous system.