Live imaging of cellulose and pectin in walls of growing plant cells

Bidhendi AJ, Chebli Y, Geitmann A. (2021) Bulletin of the Microscopical Society of Canada 47(1): 14-17

Among the principal polysaccharides in the plant cell wall are pectin and cellulose. Labeling polysaccharides in the living plant without interference with development and morphogenesis requires carefully adapted techniques. A summary of methods is provided in this Conference Proceeding, related to a full paper published in Journal of Microscopy.

Biomechanics of hair fibre growth:

a multi-scale modeling approach

Zamil MS, Harland DP, Fisher BK, Davis MG, Schwartz JR, Geitmann A. (2021) Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 148: 104290

The surface of the human body features millions of follicles - mini-organs that produce hair. We used finite element modeling to simulate the hair growth process and identify the forces that push the growing hair outside of the skin. We also identified the structures that enable a hair fibre to emerge from the skin while simultaneously being firmly anchored. More...