Biophysical Society Thematic Meeting | Ascona 2026

Mechanobiology of Infection

Program Schedule

10:00 – 10:15

Erva Keskin, University of Tübingen, Germany * Shear Priming Decreases Endothelial Cells' Susceptibility to Listeria Monocytogenes Infection, Likely Due to a Decrease in Macropinocytosis Activity

10:15 – 10:45

Coffee Break

Sala Balint

10:45 – 11:15

Carolina Tropini, University of British Columbia, Canada Mechanobiological Consequences of Bowel Prep: Weakened Barriers and Pathogen Translocation Faith Fore, King's College London, United Kingdom * Airway Epithelia Clear Rhinovirus by Extruding Infected Cells at the Cost of Viral Dissemination Megan Chong, University of California, Berkeley, USA * Probing the Contribution of Actin Network Architecture and Cortical Mechanics in Bacterial-Induced Host Cell Fusion Effie Bastounis, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany Bacterially-Infected Macrophages Promote Biomechanical Alterations in Endothelial Cell Monolayers for Transmigration Navish Wadhwa, Arizona State University, USA Experimental Evolution Reveals Distinct Flagellar Strategies for Enhanced Motility in Complex Environments Gerard Wong, University of California, Los Angeles, USA When Ancients Meet Moderns: Two Contrasting Perspectives on Initial Contact Between Bacteria and Marine Invertebrates Silvio Bianchi, CNR Nanotec, Italy * Torque Transmission Through the Hook and Its Role in Bundling in E. coli Balint Kiss, Semmelweis University, Hungary * Flexible Motion of T7 Bacteriophage Tail Fibers Suggest a Dynamic Viral Infection Mechanism Maté Biro, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Australia * Mechanobiology of Cytotoxic Lymphocyte Movements and Interactions Lunch Mechanobiology of Motility Chair: Jing Yan, Yale University, USA

11:15 – 11:30

11:30 – 11:45

11:45 – 12:15

12:15 – 14:00

Sala Luce

Session III

14:00 – 14:30

14:30 – 15:00

15:00 – 15:15

15:15 – 15:30

15:30– 15:45

15:45 – 16:15

Flash Poster Talks

16:15 – 17:00

Networking and One-on-One Discussion

Sala Balint Terrace

17:00 – 18:30

Poster Session II

Sala Balint

18:30 – 19:00

Reception and Gathering

Sala Balint Terrace

19:00 – 20:30

Dinner

Sala Luce

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