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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · 3d

Great week at #ISMC2025 in Crete!

Sarika Chelur & Cristian Villalobos gave two great contributed talks, and our group leader, Laura, gave a #Keynote on our #JanusActiveVesicles

Huge thanks to the organizers & to everyone for inspiring discussions and fun moments!
#SoftBioColloids #SoftMatter

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · 3d

We are so proud of our @softbiocol.bsky.social group at #ISMC2025 🇬🇷!
Fantastic posters by Benjamín Oliva, José Fojo, Vivien Willems and Laura (PIs can also bring posters!)

🏆 Congrats to Vivien & Benjamín for winning #PosterPrizes! 🎉
#SoftMatter #Colloids #ActiveMatter

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · 28d

Our people keep surprising us! Thanks for this amazing present to all group members, Ana!

We will need the support for the year to come :)

Laura Alvarez @lauraal.bsky.social · 28d

An army of crocheted GUVs just joined the group! Emotional support for tough vesicle experiments. We know working with GUVs can be non-trivial. The backup is welcome ;)

Thanks, Ana Cazorla, for this thoughtful present! Amazing student ideas!
#SoftMatter #LabLife #lipidvesicles

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · Aug 10

The work of Willems et al., has been featured on the cover of

@softmatter.rsc.org

Congrats to everyone for the nice job!

Do not miss the article👇

Laura Alvarez @lauraal.bsky.social · Aug 10

Our recent article "Run and tumble dynamics of active Janus vesicles" in @softmatter.rsc.org has been featured on the cover of the journal.

Check out the published article: pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...

Congrats to Vivien Willems for this nice work!

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · Jul 21

🎨🔬 In our lab, science meets art! From vibrant colors to stunning shapes, our experiments are as beautiful as they are fascinating. Because science is art!

✨ Check out our gallery of images captured by the team:
www.softbiocoll.com

#SciArt #SoftMatter #Microscopy #SyntheticCells #ActiveMatter

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · Jul 8

Congratulations!!! 🥳

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · Jul 2

Not a promise, tho, a fact! :D

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · Jul 2

We are working on it!

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · Jun 24

Last weekend, we gathered to beat the heat with a lovely picnic, and to celebrate the recent tenure of our group leader @lauraal.bsky.social
Here’s to many more exciting years of science and friendship with you and those yet to join!
#softmatter @univbordeaux.bsky.social @crpp-bordeaux.bsky.social

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · Jun 6

Our group leader Laura's portrait is on the @cpjfrance.bsky.social website.

She holds a Chair Junior Maitre de Conference @univbordeaux.bsky.social @crpp-bordeaux.bsky.social
Discover more about her in the link below!👇

CPJ Network France 🌐 @cpjfrance.bsky.social · Jun 6

#CPJ Portrait: Laura ALVAREZ✨
Want to know more about Laura?
Check out here 👇 wp.me/PgdKM0-7k 🔍 @lauraal.bsky.social @softbiocol.bsky.social 😍

Laura ALVAREZ

📝 Short CV Assistant Professor – Junior Chair, Tenure Track, University of Bordeaux (2025–present)Group Leader of the Soft BioColloids group, Centre de Recherche Paul Pascal&nb…

wp.me

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · Jun 4

SoftBioColloids group portraits! 🗒️
We will be posting portraits of our group members, so you get to know a bit more about the people driving the science in the group.

We start with the portrait of Vivien Willems👇
More info softbiocoll.com

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · May 26

📄 Run-and-tumble dynamics of active giant vesicles
Vivien Willem, Daniel Matoz-Fernandez, Gianna Wolifsberg, Eric R. Dufresne, @baretjc.bsky.social
@lauraal.bsky.social
@crpp-bordeaux.bsky.social
@univbordeaux.bsky.social

🧵 Thanks for reading!
#SoftMatter #ActiveMatter #Biophysics

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · May 26

Why it’s exciting:

- First time showing tunable run-and-tumble behavior in synthetic, soft lipid vesicles systems

- Reorientation is membrane-driven

- Behavior is encoded in lipid composition and electric field

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · May 26

During "tumbles", the membrane reconfigures, disrupting the Janus asymmetry.
The vesicle stops, loses directionality, then resumes motion in a new direction after phase structure recovers.
This is driven by field-induced membrane fluidity and tension.

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · May 26

These giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) have coexisting liquid-ordered and disordered lipid domains.
Under AC fields, asymmetric EHD flows along the membrane generate propulsion—as long as the Janus structure is intact.

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · May 26

Publication Alert!🎉
🚀🧪 New paper out! @softmatter.rsc.org @rsc.org

We show that Janus lipid vesicles can self-propel under AC electric fields, exhibiting run-and-tumble dynamics—just like bacteria, but driven by membrane-phase behavior.
👉 Read here: pubs.rsc.org/en/content/art

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · May 20

The active softies of the group met some weeks ago to spend a nice evening together and enjoy some international delicacies!🧀🍷
What a blessing being surrounded by these amazing humans!
If you want to know more about us, check the news on our website :)

softbiocoll.com/general-5

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · May 5

Frequency acts as a selector:
🔻Low freq → dipolar-driven networks
🔺High freq → standing rods, disconnection
Voltage tunes “stickiness.” Electric fields as on-demand glue.
#Percolation #Electrokinetics

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · May 5

🧲🧪 Field-tunable networks of colloidal rods!
AC fields induce reversible 2D percolated networks at area fractions below theoretical thresholds—dipolar attraction beats excluded volume. #SoftMatter #Colloids #SelfAssembly

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · May 5

Publication Alert!📢
Check our new article by José in collab with C. Fernandez-Rico, L. Rodriguez-Arco M. Dijkstra R. Subert & M. Lopez.
We engineering reversible 2D rod percolated networks!
pubs.rsc.org/en/content/a...
#SoftMatter #Colloids
@crpp-bordeaux.bsky.social @univbordeaux.bsky.social

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Reposted by SoftBio Colloids Lab

Laura Alvarez @lauraal.bsky.social · Apr 14

It was a pleasrue to have @asciortino.bsky.social with us last week at @crpp-bordeaux.bsky.social
Thanks for showing us the beauty of soft interface driven out-of-equilibrium :) - and the best explanation on nematic defects ever!

J.-C. B. @baretjc.bsky.social · Apr 11

Today we have a seminar by Alfredo Scortino from the CytoMorpholab, invited by @lauraal.bsky.social

Minimal cytoskeleton for Syn Cell !

@crpp-bordeaux.bsky.social

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SoftBio Colloids Lab @softbiocol.bsky.social · Mar 25

SigSynCell MSCA DN @sigsyncell.bsky.social · Oct 17

[🫧 Meet our doctoral candidates]

New member spotted at CNRS 🇫🇷

José Fojo-Vazquez started his PhD under the supervision of @LauraAlvarez_F. He will work on creating programmable, motile GUVs with controlled mechanical properties and responsiveness to external stimuli.

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Reposted by SoftBio Colloids Lab

Université de Bordeaux @univbordeaux.bsky.social · Mar 11

📻 Les cellules souches offrent à la recherche une nouvelle voie d’exploration thérapeutique pour de nombreuses maladies. Comment les exploiter ? Le point dans @sciencecqfd.bsky.social @franceculture.fr avec notamment Pierre Nassoy du LP2N* et fondateur de Treefrog :
www.radiofrance.fr/f...

Thérapie cellulaire : ça coule de souche

Les cellules souches utilisées en recherche sont soit directement issues de l’embryon soit induites à la pluripotence à partir de cellules adultes différenciées. Ces dernières offrent à la recherche une nouvelle voie d’exploration thérapeutique pour de nombreuses maladies. Comment les exploiter ?

www.radiofrance.fr

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Reposted by SoftBio Colloids Lab

Zwicker Group @zwickergroup.bsky.social · Mar 3

We have an open postdoc position in our group! We seek motivated and fun people with a background in theoretical biological physics to work on projects revolving around pattern formation, cell biology, and particularly #condensates. Details: www.ds.mpg.de/4078435/job_...

#TheoBiophysicsPosition

Postdoctoral Position (m/f/d) | Biological Physics

For the independent research group “Theory of Biological Fluids” headed by Dr. David Zwicker we seek to fill a Postdoctoral Position (m/f/d) in Biological Physics.

www.ds.mpg.de

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Reposted by SoftBio Colloids Lab

eLife @elife.bsky.social · Feb 23

Scientists have designed an “ingenious” side-view device that lets them observe the structural changes of 3D tumour spheroids more comprehensively.
https://elifesciences.org/articles/101886?utm_source=bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=organic

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