Dr Lorena Redondo Morata

Lorena Redondo Morata is a researcher at the DyNaMo U1325 laboratory at Aix-Marseille Université & INSERM in Marseille, France. Her research focuses on understanding membrane remodeling processes and how proteins and lipids drive membrane dynamics, including deformation, fusion, and fission. These biological processes often occur on timescales ranging from sub-seconds to minutes.

What excites Lorena most about atomic force microscopy (AFM) is its unique ability to explore structure, mechanics, and dynamics in a controlled environment without the need for labeling. Given the inherent complexity of cell membranes, her research strategy centers on developing model membrane systems that mimic cellular membranes with controllable complexity.

Currently, Lorena's research is dedicated to investigating the mechanics and dynamics of cell membrane remodeling using AFM and correlative microscopy techniques. Her key research interests include studying the nanomechanics of membrane disruptors, such as antimicrobial peptides and surfactants, as well as exploring extracellular vesicles and the dynamics of lipid nanodomains, particularly in the context of membrane fusion and remodeling processes.

Lorena Redond Morata

Recent papers:

• Li, F.; Coleman, J.; Redondo-Morata, L.; Sundaram, R. V. K.; Stroeva, E.; Rothman, J.E.; Pincet, P., (2024) Quantitative single-molecule analysis of assembly and Ca2+-dependent disassembly of synaptotagmin oligomers on lipid bilayers, Communications Biology, 7(1):1608. doi: 10.1038/s42003-024-07317-9.

• Rodriguez Lejarraga, P.; Moneo, A.; Martin, S.; Colom, A.; Redondo Morata, L.; Giannotti, M.; Petrenko, V.; Silván, U.; Lanceros-Méndez, S., (2024) The surface charge of electroactive materials governs cell behaviour through its effect on protein deposition, Acta Biomaterialia, 184:201-209.

• Longarzo, M.L.; Vázquez, R.F.; Bellini, M.J.; Zamora, R.A.; Redondo-Morata, L.; Giannotti, M.I.; Oliveira Jr O.N..; Fanani, M.L.;. Maté, S.M., (2024) Understanding the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on the physical properties of brain membranes, iScience, 27, 110362.

• Villanueva, M. E., Bar, L., Redondo-Morata, L., Namdar, P., Ruysschaert, J. M., Pabst, G., Vandier, C., Bouchet, A. M., Losada-Pérez, P.; (2024) Spontaneous nanotube formation of an asymmetric glycolipid, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 671, 410-422.

• Pfeffer,M.E., DiFrancesco,M.L., Marchesi,A. Galluzzi, F., Moschetta, M. Rossini, A. Francia,S., Franz, C.M., Fok, Y., Valotteau, C., Paternò,G.M., Redondo-Morata,L., Vacca,F., Mattiello, S., Magni, A., Maragliano,L., Beverina, L., Mattioli, G., Lanzani,G., Baldelli, P., Colombo, E., Benfenati, F., (2024) Nanoactuator for Neuronal Optoporation, ACS Nano, 18, 19, 12427–12452.

• Pérez-Domínguez, S.; Kulkarni, S. G.; Pabijan, J.; Gnanachandran, K.; Holuigue, H.; Eroles, M.; Lorenc, E.; Berardi, M.; Antonovaite, N.; Marini, M. L.; Alonso, J. L.; Redonto-Morata, L.; Dupres, V.; Janel, S.; Acharya, S.; Otero, J.; Navajas, D.; Bielawski, K.; Schillers, H.; Lafont, F.; Rico, F.; Podestà, A.; Radmacher, M.; Lekka, M., (2023) Reliable, standardized measurements for cell mechanical properties, Nanoscale,15, 16371-16380.

• Torralba, J.; de la Arada, I.; Partida-Hanon, A.; Rujas, E.; Arribas, M.; Insausti, S.; Valotteau, C.; Valle, J.; Andreu, D.; Caaveiro, J.M.M.; Jiménez, M.A.; Apellániz, B.†, Redondo-Morata, L.† & Nieva, J.L.†, (2022) Molecular 1 recognition of a membrane-anchored HIV-1 pan-neutralizing epitope, Communications Biology, 5, 1265.

• Bar, L.; Perissinotto, F.; Redondo-Morata, L., Giannotti, M. I.; Goole, J.; Losada- Pérez, P.;(2022); Interactions of hydrophilic quantum dots with defect-free and defect containing supported lipid membranes, Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 210: 112239. History cover (Volume 210, February 2022, 112239)

• Luciano, M.; Xue, S.-L.; H. De Vos, Winnok; Redondo-Morata, L.; Surin, M.; Lafont, F.; Hannezo, E.; Gabriele, S.,(2021) Large-scale curvature sensing by epithelial monolayers depends on active cell mechanics and nuclear mechanoadaptation, Nature Physics, 17: 1382–1390.

Biography: Lorena obtained her PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Barcelona, Spain, in collaboration with the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia, focusing on lipid bilayer nanomechanics using AFM-based force spectroscopy. After earning her PhD in 2012 under the supervision of Fausto Sanz, she joined Simon Scheuring’s lab at Inserm in Marseille to study biomembrane dynamics with High-Speed AFM. Awarded the Young Researcher Prize by the Spanish Biophysical Society in 2016, she became an Inserm researcher at the Institut Pasteur in Lille in 2018. In 2024, she relocated her laboratory to the DyNaMo Inserm unit in Marseille, where she focuses her research on lipid membrane nanomechanics and the dynamics of lipid nanodomains in the context of membrane fusion or other remodeling processes.

BlueSky: @lorenaredondo.bsky.social

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lorena-redondo-morata-06a89051/

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/fm4b-lab/home?authuser=0

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