Kristian Franze

Professor Kristian Franze serves as Principal Investigator and Head of the Department of Neural Mechanics at the Max Planck Center for Physics and Medicine in Erlangen, Germany. He concurrently holds the position of Director of the Institute of Medical Physics and Microtissue Engineering at the Faculty of Medicine of Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg (FAU).

His groundbreaking research explores how neurons integrate mechanical and chemical signals during development and regeneration processes of the central nervous system. The Franze laboratory employs an interdisciplinary approach combining physics and life sciences, utilizing advanced techniques including:

• Atomic force microscopy
• Traction force microscopy
• Custom-built compliant cell culture substrates
• Optical and confocal laser scanning microscopy
• Cell and molecular biology approaches

Key discoveries from his lab include demonstrating that neural tissue is mechanically highly heterogeneous, that neurons constantly exert forces on their environment, and that both neurons and glial cells actively respond to mechanical stimuli. His work has revealed that local tissue mechanics directly guides growing neuronal axons and contributes to establishing the chemical landscape encountered by developing neurons.

Professor Franze leads an international research team comprising doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and technical staff. His laboratory investigates how cellular forces, tissue compliance, and cellular mechanosensitivity contribute to CNS development and disease, with potential applications for treating neurological disorders where mechanical factors play crucial roles, such as foreign body reactions to implants and failed nerve regeneration after spinal cord injuries.