Chloé Techens, Solids Mechanics Laboratory (LMS)

With a dual background in materials science and biomedical engineering, Chloé Techens is interested in the mechanical properties of biological tissues, and in particular how these properties are determined at the microscopic level and play a role in the development of certain diseases.

At the microscopic level, the cells in our bodies are embedded in an extracellular matrix to which they attach and within which they move. A balance is established between this matrix, which exerts forces on the cells, and the cells themselves, which reorganize the matrix fibers and alter its structure. When this balance is disrupted, diseases emerge.

This is the case, for example, with aneurysms: the extracellular matrix has softened, and the vessel wall swells under blood pressure until it breaks. Chloé Techens’ project focuses on thoracic aortic aneurysms, for which few warning signs are currently known.

Initially, the goal will be to establish an experimental model of the extracellular matrix using hydrogels, with microscopic monitoring over time to observe, in particular, changes in the microstructure.

In the long term, the project’s objective is to help develop tools that will enable the early detection of the disease.