Elodie Lafargue

I have always been fascinated by the microscopic world. From high school, I steered my academic path toward laboratory sciences, and this passion has only deepened throughout my studies and research. My interest has particularly focused on the intricate interactions between membrane proteins and lipids. And what has always drawn me to microscopy is its unique ability to let us “see” what we study. During my master's internships and later my PhD, I discovered High-Speed AFM (HS-AFM), and it was a revelation. More than just a tool, this technique has become essential to the research I aspire to conduct, the one that excites and inspires me the most. I also had the opportunity to popularize and share this passion with the general public and schools through a program offered by Aix-Marseille University.

Today, I am pursuing this way as a postdoctoral researcher in Ancona, Italy. I chose to continue working with HS-AFM to investigate the mechanisms of a transporter involved in the central nervous system. This deliberate choice to deepen my expertise with the same technique reflects my conviction that its potential remains vast and that each new image holds the promise of uncovering an unseen facet of life.

Elodie Lafargue

Papers under revision:

• Elodie Lafargue, Carlos Marcuello, Thomas M. Wood, Nathaniel I. Martin, Adai Colom, Ignacio Casuso, (2025) Bacterial membrane organization through fluid regions: An ancient role of the ligase MurG uncovered under revision at ACS Nano.

• Elodie Lafargue, Jean-Pierre Duneau, Nicolas Buzhinsky, Pamela Ornelas, Alexandre Ortega, Varun Ravishankar, James Sturgis, Ignacio Casuso, Lucie Bergdoll, (2025) Lipids modulate the organization of VDAC1, the gatekeeper of mitochondria, revised and resubmitted of Communications Biology & BioRxiv 2024.06.26.597124;

BlueSky: @elodie-lafargue.bsky.social

X: @elodie_lafargue

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/elodie-lafargue-a02309142

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Dr Lydia C Powell

Lydia is a lecturer in the Microbiology and Infectious Disease Group at Swansea University Medical School. Lydia’s research, bridging engineering and biomedical sciences, uses atomic force microscopy to advance the biophysical understanding of complex 3D multicellular aggregates, such as bacterial biofilm structures and ovarian cancer spheroids. Lydia has translated this understanding into the design and delivery of new therapies for cystic fibrosis and chronic wound biofilm-related infections, where this research has informed the patenting and progression of novel anti-biofilm therapeutics into clinical trials (AlgiPharma AS and Qbiotics). Furthermore, Lydia investigates the impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on biofilm dynamics, aiming to identify new therapeutic targets and pathways essential for developing effective treatments to combat AMR-related biofilm infections.

Lydia Powell

Recent AFM-related papers:

• Powell LC, Quintela M, James DW, Onyido E, Howard D, Edwards K, Turney JL, Morgan CR, Worthington J, Williams N, Dulebo A, Haschke H, Gonzalez D, Conlan RS, Francis LW. (2025) Cisplatin resistance alters ovarian cancer spheroid formation and impacts peritoneal invasion. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, 13: 1450407.

• Francis LW, Yao SN, Powell LC, Griffiths S, Berquand A, Piasecki T, Howe W, Gazze SA, Farach-Carson MC, Constantinou P, Carson D, Margarit L, Gonzalez D and Conlan RS. (2021) Highly glycosylated MUC1 mediates high affinity L-selectin binding at the human endometrial surface. Journal of Nanobiotechnology 19: 50.

• Powell LC, Hilal N, Wright C. (2016) Atomic Force Microscopy study of the biofouling and mechanical properties of virgin and industrially fouled reverse osmosis membranes. Desalination 404: 313-321.

Biography: Lydia achieved a MEng in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering (1st class; 2005) and a MRes in Nanotechnology (2006), before completing a PhD in Biochemical Engineering (2011) at Swansea University.

In 2011, Lydia began her postdoctoral research career at Cardiff University, based at the University Hospital of Wales, investigating the use of novel antimicrobial agents to treat bacterial biofilm-related infections. In 2018, Lydia returned to Swansea University to characterise the effect of novel epigenetic and antibody-drug conjugate therapeutics on ovarian cancer 3D cell models.  In 2022, Lydia became a Lecturer in Microbiology and Infectious disease within Swansea University and also holds an Honorary Lectureship position in Cardiff University.

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lydia-Powell-2

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lydia-powell-15732986/

Webpage: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/staff/l.c.powell/

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Sarah Stainer

Sarah Stainer is a PhD student at the Johannes Kepler University Linz (JKU) and is currently finishing her thesis on real-time visualization of highly mobile proteins using high-speed AFM (HS-AFM). During her PhD, she specialized in the imaging of highly mobile proteins, studying their flexibility and conformational changes. She has always been fascinated by the complex workings of cells and wanted to understand their mechanisms at the molecular level. HS-AFM fascinates her because you can observe very small biological samples such as proteins and DNA and watch their movement in real time. Resolving the features of flexible domains can be challenging using conventional structural determination techniques. HS-AFM can add new information about dynamics and flexibility to protein structures that would otherwise be described by a static representation.

Sarah Stainer

Recent AFM-related papers:

• Bae, J., Bednar, P., Zhu, R., Bong, C., Bak, M. S., Stainer, S., Kim, K., Lee, J., Yoon, C., Lee, Y., Ojowa, O. T., Lehner, M., Hinterdorfer, P., Ruzek, D., Park, S., & Oh, Y. J. (2024). Mechanisms of Plasma Ozone and UV-C Sterilization of SARS-CoV-2 Explored through Atomic Force Microscopy. ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.

• Cisse, A., Desfosses, A., Stainer, S., Kandiah, E., Traore, D. A. K., Bezault, A., Schachner-Nedherer, A. L., Leitinger, G., Hoerl, G., Hinterdorfer, P., Gutsche, I., Prassl, R., Peters, J., & Kornmueller, K. (2023). Targeting structural flexibility in low density lipoprotein by integrating cryo-electron microscopy and high-speed atomic force microscopy. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 252(May), 126345.

• Stainer, S., Reisetbauer, S., Ahiable, J. E. A., Ebner, L., Zhu, R., Reindl, D., Körmöczi, G. F., & Ebner, A. (2020). Single molecule distribution of RhD binding epitopes on ultraflat erythrocyte ghosts. Nanoscale, 12(43), 22097–22106.

Biography: Sarah grew up in Salzburg, Austria and studied Molecular Biology in a joint program at the Paris-Lodron University of Salzburg and the Johannes Kepler University of Linz. She was introduced to AFM during her master thesis at the Johannes Kepler University, where she studied the surface pattern of rhesus factor membrane proteins on erythrocyte cells using Topography and Recognition Imaging (TREC). During her master thesis, she applied for a PhD position at JKU and joined the Applied Experimental Biophysics group, specializing in Single Molecule Force Spectroscopy (SMFS), Topography and Recognition Imaging (TREC) and High-Speed AFM (HS-AFM). She spent half a year abroad in Japan as a research visitor to deepen her knowledge in HS-AFM.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-stainer-b1473b142

Webpage: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sarah-Stainer

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Prof Kerstin Blank

Kerstin Blank is a Professor at the Institute of Experimental Physics at Johannes Kepler University Linz, Austria, where she leads the Division of Biomolecular and Selforganizing Matter. Originally trained as a protein biochemist, she was introduced to atomic force microscopy (AFM) during her PhD in Hermann Gaub’s lab at Ludwig Maximilian University Munich. Since then, she has been fascinated by the intricate relationship between protein structure and mechanics.

Her current research focuses on the mechanical properties of structural proteins that form biological materials. Using these proteins as blueprints, she designs mechanoresponsive nanomechanical building blocks. A major focus is the de novo engineering of coiled coils and their mechanical characterization via single-molecule force spectroscopy. Integrating additional functionalities, such as optical readouts of their molecular state, she employs these coiled coils as molecular force sensors and as mechanoresponsive elements in smart hydrogels. These tools provide new insights into mechanical signaling at cell-material interfaces, both in 2D and 3D cell culture environments.

Kerstin Blank - Photo Credit: Sabine Starmayr

Recent AFM-related publications:

• E. Khare, C. Gonzalez-Obeso, Z. Martin-Moldes, A. Talib, D. Kaplan, N. Holten-Anderson, K. G. Blank, M. J. Buehler (2024) Heterogeneous and Cooperative Rupture of Histidine–Ni2+ Metal-Coordination Bonds on Rationally Designed Protein Templates. ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering 10:2945-2955.

• L. Novaković, G. E. Yakubov, Y. Ma, A. Bacic, K. G. Blank, A. Sampathkumar, K. L. Johnson (2023) DEFECTIVE KERNEL1 (DEK1) regulates cellulose synthesis and affects primary cell wall mechanics. Frontiers in Plant Science 14:1150202.

• A.-M. Tsirigoni, M. Goktas, Z. Atris, A. Valleriani, A. Vila Verde, K. G. Blank (2023) Chain Sliding versus β-Sheet Formation upon Shearing α-Helical Coiled Coils. Macromolecular Bioscience 23:2200563.

• P. López-García, A. D. de Araujo, A. E. Bergues-Pupo, I. Tunn, D. P. Fairlie, K. G. Blank (2021) Fortified Coiled Coils: Enhancing Mechanical Stability with Lactam or Metal Staples. Angewandte Chemie International Edition 60:232-236.

• A. Pohl, F. Berger, R. M. A. Sullan, C. Valverde-Tercedor, K. Freindl, N. Spiridis, C. T. Lefèvre, N. Menguy, S. Klumpp, K. G. Blank, D. Faivre (2019) Decoding biomineralization: interaction of a magnetosome-derived peptide with magnetite thin films. Nano Letters 19:8207-8215

Biography: Kerstin Blank received her PhD in Biophysics from Ludwig Maximilian University Munich in 2006. After brief postdoctoral stays in Strasbourg and Leuven, she became an assistant professor at Radboud University Nijmegen in 2009. In 2014, she joined the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam, where she led the Max Planck Research Group Mechano(bio)chemistry. Since October 2021, she has been a full professor at Johannes Kepler University. Kerstin Blank co-founded and chaired the Gordon Research Conference on Multiscale Mechanochemistry & Mechanobiology. Since 2022, she has served as (deputy) speaker of the Biological Physics section of the German Physical Society. She is also a member of the editorial board of RSC Mechanochemistry.

Website: www.jku.at/biom

LinkedIn: https://at.linkedin.com/in/kerstin-blank-b294269

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Alyona (Olena) Yedelkina

Alyona (Olena) Yedelkina is a Ph.D. student in Dr. Antonio Benedetto’s NanoBioPhysics lab at University College Dublin, Ireland. Her research explores the interactions between ionic liquids (ILs) and cell membranes using atomic force microscopy (AFM), neutron scattering, and other biophysical techniques.

Working with synthetic lipid bilayers of varying complexity, she investigates how ILs influence membrane properties. Through AFM, she examines structural changes and mechanical responses to better understand IL effects at the nanoscale. Collaborating with her research group, she aims to correlate IL-induced changes in cell metabolism and mechanics with the mechanical and structural data obtained from membranes. Alyona hopes her research will lead to a better understanding of cell membrane biophysics and pave the way for IL applications in nanotechnology and medicine.

Alyona (Olena) Yedelkina

Biography: Alyona’s journey into biophysics began in 2019 in Slovakia, where she earned a degree in Biophysics at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University and conducted research on protein molecular properties and interactions at the Center for Interdisciplinary Biosciences in Košice. During this time, she gained experience with a variety of biological assays and biophysical techniques, studying enzyme activity, stability, and aggregation under different physical conditions. In 2022, Alyona moved to Dublin to join Dr. Antonio Benedetto’s research group at University College Dublin. Since starting her Ph.D., her focus has shifted to the biophysics of cellular membranes, with atomic force microscopy (AFM) becoming her primary technique. She now uses AFM, along with neutron scattering and other biophysical approaches, to investigate the interactions between ionic liquids and biological membranes.

X: @AYedelkina

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyona-yedelkina-147b92328/

Website: https://www.antoniobenedetto.eu/Members/

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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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