Biography

• 2021 - now HFSP-funded Postdoctoral Fellow with PF. Lenne, IBDM, Aix-Marseille University & CNRS

• 2020 Postdoc with S. Chiantia, Cell Membrane Biophysics Group, University of Potsdam, Germany

• 2016-2020 PhD Thesis with S. Chiantia, Cell Membrane Biophysics Group, University of Potsdam, Germany

• 2012-2015 MSc Studies in Physics, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Germany and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
  MSc Thesis with A. Herrmann, Molecular Biophysics Group, HU Berlin, Germany
  Research Project with D. Coombs, Applied Mathematics Group, UBC, Vancouver, Canada

• 2009-2012 BSc Studies in Physics, Humboldt-University of Berlin, Germany
  BSc Thesis with A. Saez, Modern Optics Group, HU Berlin, Germany

Main research interest

I am fascinated how cells collectively self-organize into diverse tissues and organs, which is beautifully exemplified during embryonic development. While this has been extensively studied in model organisms, recent advances in stem cell and organoid technologies now allow us to recapitulate these remarkable processes in vitro and even build functional structures for pharmaceutical and medical applications. 

In my research, I want to understand how cells integrate genetic programs, signaling, mechanics and metabolism to commit to specialized fates, on an individual and collective level. I also aim to understand how emerging cell populations form functional morphological structures such as organs. To this aim, I recapitulate early development using embryonic organoids (currently mouse but soon also human). My current research focuses on the formation of the germ layers and the main body axes. I investigate these questions on multiple levels from the molecular to the cellular and multi-cellular scale.

More information can be found here: Biophysics of embryonic organoids self-organization 

Current projects

Mechanisms of patterning and symmetry breaking in embryonic organoids

The emergence of asymmetries within a mass of equivalent cells is a key event in embryonic development, resulting in formation of the main body axes. We investigate symmetry breaking in gastruloids, an in vitro model of early mammalian embryogenesis. Upon Wnt activation, polarized gene expression patterns emerge from an initially homogenous state, followed by elongation and formation of germlayer-like tissues. Interestingly, robust symmetry breaking occurs only in aggregates of a certain size, smaller or larger aggregates do not polarize. In addition, recent research suggests that gradients of gene expression in gastruloids at an early stage are predictive on the morphogenetic potential at a later stage. To understand these phenomena, we investigate how gene expression patterns arise during Wnt activation.

I use single-objective lightsheet microscopy to acquire long-term movies of gastruloids during symmetry breaking (see example of an 8h movie below) and analyse gene expression patterns, cell movements, deformations, interactions and tissue flows.

Publications

• Spatial patterning of contractility by a mechanogen gradient underlies Drosophila gastrulation
  Mundhe, G., Dunsing-Eichenauer, V., Phlippe, JM., Da Silva, E., Collinet, C., Lecuit, T. (2025)
  bioRxiv 2025.04.11.648359; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.11.648359

• A quantitative pipeline for whole-mount deep imaging and multiscale analysis of gastruloids
  Gros, A.#, Vanaret#, J., Dunsing-Eichenauer, V.#, Rostan, A., Roudot, P., Lenne, PF., Guignard, L., Tlili, S. (2024)
  bioRxiv 2024.08.13.607832; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.08.13.607832, #shared first authors

• Transfer of polarity information via diffusion of Wnt ligands in C. elegans embryos
  Recouvreux, P., Pai, P., Dunsing, V., Torro, R., Ludanyi, M., Mélénec, P., Boughzala, M., Bertrand, V., Lenne, PF. (2024)

Current Biology 34, 1853–1865, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.030

• Fast volumetric fluorescence lifetime imaging of multicellular systems using single-objective lightsheet microscopy

Dunsing-Eichenauer, V. #, Hummert, J.#, Chardès, C., Schönau, T., Guignard, L., Galland, R., Grenci, G., Tillmann, M., Koberling, F., Nock, C., Sibarita, JB., Viasnoff, V., Antolovic, IM., Erdmann, R., Lenne, PF. (2024)

bioRxiv 2024.03.24.586451; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.03.24.586451, #shared first and co-corresponding authors

• Serotonin signaling regulates actomyosin contractility during morphogenesis in evolutionarily divergent lineages
  Karki, S., Saadaoui, M., Dunsing, V., Kerridge, S., Da Silva, E., Phlippe, JM., Maurange, C., Lecuit, T. (2023) 

Nature Communications 14, 5547. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-41178-w

• Benchmarking of novel green fluorescent proteins for the quantification of protein oligomerization in living cells
  Petrich, A., Koikkarah Aji, A., Dunsing, V., Chiantia, S. (2023)

PLOS ONE 18(8): e0285486. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0285486

• Technical insights into fluorescence lifetime microscopy of mechanosensitive Flipper probes
  Chloé Roffay, C., García-Arcos, JM., Chapuis, P., López-Andarias,J., Schneider, F., Colom, A., Tomba, C., Di Meglio, I., Barrett, K., Dunsing, V., Matile, S., Roux, A., Mercier, V. (2022) 

bioRxiv 2022.09.28.509885; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.09.28.509885, accepted at Nature Protocols

• Biomimetic asymmetric bacterial membranes incorporating lipopolysaccharides
  Stephan, M., Dunsing, V., Pramanik, S., Chiantia, S., Barbirz, S., Robinson, T., Dimova, R. (2022)

Biophysical Journal, 2022 Dec 15;S0006-3495(22)03927-3. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.12.017.

• Mandipropamid as chemical inducer of proximity for in vivo application and protein network manipulation
  Ziegler, M.J., Yserentant, K., Dunsing, V., Middel, V., Gralak, A.J., Pakari, K., Bargstedt, J., Kern, C., Petrich, A, Chiantia, S., Strähle, U., Herten, D-P., Wombacher, R. (2022)

Nature Chemical Biology, 18(1), 64-69

• Influenza A M2 recruits M1 to the plasma membrane: a fluorescence fluctuation microscopy study
  Petrich, A., Dunsing, V., Bobone, S., Chiantia, S. (2021)

Biophysical Journal, Volume 120, Issue 4, Pages 5478-5490

• Multi-color fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy in living cells via spectral detection
  Dunsing, V.#, Petrich, A., Chiantia, S.# (2021)

eLife 2021;10:e69687. #co-corresponding authors

• Pantoea stewartii WceF is a glycan biofilm modifying enzyme with a bacteriophage tailspike-like fold
  Irmscher, T., Roske, Y., Gayk, I., Dunsing, V., Chiantia, S., Heinemann, U., Barbirz, S. (2021)

Journal of Biological Chemistry 296 100286

• Purely polysaccharide-based biofilm matrix provides size-selective diffusion barriers for nanoparticles and bacteriophages
  Dunsing, V., Irmscher, T., Barbirz, S., Chiantia, S. (2019)

Biomacromolecules 20, 3842-3854.

• A fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy assay of protein-protein interactions at cell-cell contacts
  Dunsing, V., Chiantia, S. (2018)

Journal of Visualized Experiments (142), e58582.

• Optimal fluorescent protein tags for quantifying protein oligomerization in living cells
  Dunsing, V.#, Luckner, M.#, Zühlke, B., Petazzi, R.A., Herrmann, A., Chiantia, S. (2018) 

Scientific Reports 8:10634. #shared first authors

• Direct evidence of amyloid precursor-like protein 1 trans interactions in cell-cell adhesion platforms investigated via fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy
  Dunsing, V., Mayer, M., Liebsch, F., Multhaup, G., Chiantia, S. (2017)

Molecular Biology of the Cell 28, 3609-3620.

• Phosphatidylserine lateral organization influences the interaction of influenza virus matrix protein 1 with lipid membranes
  Bobone, S., Hilsch, M., Storm, J., Dunsing, V., Herrmann, A., Chiantia, S. (2017)

Journal of Virology 91:e00267-17.

• Amyloid precursor-like protein 1 (APLP1) exhibits stronger zinc-dependent neuronal adhesion than amyloid precursor protein and APLP2
  Mayer, M. C., Schauenburg, L., Thompson-Steckel, G., Dunsing, V., Kaden, D., Voigt, P., Schaefer, M., Chiantia, S., Kennedy, T. E. and Multhaup, G. (2016)

Journal of Neurochemistry, 137: 266-276.

• Design parameters for granzyme mediated cytotoxic lymphocyte target cell killing and specificity
  Woodsworth, D., Dunsing, V., Coombs, D. (2015)

Biophysical Journal, Volume 109, Issue 3, Pages 477-488