Gianluca GRENCI
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore
Facility Manager, Nano and Microfabrication Core
mbigg@nus.edu.sg
Level 10 T-Lab
National University of Singapore
5A Engineering Drive 1
Singapore 117411
What are intermediate filaments?
What are intermediate filaments? Intermediate filaments are a primary component of the cytoskeleton, although they are not found in all eukaryotes, and are absent in fungi and plants [1]. These filaments, which extend throughout [...]
How are intermediate filaments assembled?
How are intermediate filaments assembled? The soluble subunit for creating intermediate filaments is a tetramer. The tetramer is created from monomers in a stepwise fashion (as reviewed in [1]). First, two monomers associate via [...]
What are microtubules?
What are microtubules? Microtubules are hollow cylinders [1] that are approximately 25nm in diameter [2] and vary in length from 200 nm to 25 μm. They are formed by the lateral association of between [...]
What are Blebs?
What are Blebs? Blebs are blister-like protrusions that occur at the cell surface (reviewed in [1]). Blebs form, and function, in a series of defined steps. They typically grow to a length of around [...]
How is actomoysin contractility regulated?
How does the contractome protein network regulate actomyosin contractility? Non-muscle myosin II isoforms have a similar structure and function to their muscle equivalents. However, their interaction with actin serves to generate cellular forces rather [...]
What is Actomyosin?
What is Actomyosin? Actomyosin refers to the actin-myosin complex that forms within the cytoskeleton. Actomyosin is inherently contractile, with the myosin motor protein able to pull on actin filaments. This property gives rise to [...]
Gianluca Grenci
Research Assistant Professor, Facility Manager
Research Interests
Microfluidics, Micro-optical systems for live cell imaging
Our laboratory is primarily interested in the application of micro/nano fabrication technology to biological science. We exploit standard and advanced micro-fabrication tools in order to design and produce systems and devices for cell culturing and imaging. Examples of such devices are: topographically and/or chemically micro-textured environments, microfluidic devices, micro-optical systems and more.
We are also interested in developing microfluidic devices for FTIR spectromicroscopy of living cells. FTIR is an imaging technique that is intrinsically label-free and requires minimal sample preparation; when coupled with microscopy and high brilliance IR sources it allows the acquisition of chemical maps at a resolution which is diffraction limited. Absorption of IR photons induces very low or no damage at all, therefore it is in principle possible to observe for prolonged time the behaviour of living cells. Our research activity is intended to develope microfludic platforms suitable for FTIR (key parameters are optical transparency and low IR absorption) while keeping cells alive and healthy; a beneficial feature provided by micro-fabrication approach is the possibility to control of the chemical environment at the micro-scale.
Research Areas
Micro/nano engineering, microfluidic, FTIR
Biography
Dr Gianluca Grenci joined MBI in 2012 as a research fellow and head of the Micro Fabrication Core facility. Previously he was employed at the LILIT micro/nano fabrication group (IOM-CNR, Trieste, IT) for a total of 6 years, during which he was mainly involved in the design and fabrication of microfluidic devices for synchrotron-light related spectroscopic techniques, such as SAXS and FTIR. He thus developed extensive practical knowledge on all the major lithographic technologies (UV and EB lithography, wet/dry etching, soft-lithography, thin films deposition), plus some less usual and/or more advanced technique, such as X-ray Lithography and LIGA.
He did his PhD in the field of applied superconductivity, in a project aimed to develop a current cryo-comparator (CCC) using high critical temperature superconductors of the cuprate family (YBCO) in the form of a thick film deposited onto a large area, complex shaped silver substrate.
Education
PhD Polytechnic of Torino, DISPEA
Recent Publications
- Zhang Z, Canela A, Kurisu J, Zou P, Kawaue T, Nakazawa N, Takeda N, Saeki M, Utsunomiya M, Bilgic M, Ishidate F, Grenci G, Furuta T, Kishi Y, Sasanuma H, and Kengaku M. Confined migration induces non-lethal DNA damage in developing neurons. Nature 2026;. [PMID: 42310452]
- Gandin A, Torresan V, Panciera T, Grenci G, Vanni G, Citron A, Marchionni M, Battilana G, Pelosin M, Busetto R, Piccolo S, and Brusatin G. Flexible high-resolution ECM micropatterning. Nat Protoc 2026;. [PMID: 42129485]
- Dunsing-Eichenauer V, Hummert J, Chardès C, Schönau T, Guignard L, Galland R, Grenci G, Tillmann M, Koberling F, Nock C, Sibarita J, Viasnoff V, Antolovic IM, Erdmann R, and Lenne P. Fast volumetric fluorescence lifetime imaging of multicellular systems using single-objective light-sheet microscopy. Commun Biol 2025;. [PMID: 41315677]
- Jiang X, Xu P, Feng F, Grenci G, and Saw TB. Revealing Electromechanical Control of Tissue Homeostasis Using a Two-Layer Microfluidic Device. J Vis Exp 2025;(223). [PMID: 41052031]
- Cabillic M, Forriere H, Bettarel L, Butler C, Neuhaus A, Idrissi I, Sambrano-Lopez ME, Rossbroich J, Müller L, Ries J, Grenci G, Viasnoff V, Levet F, Sibarita J, and Galland R. In-depth single molecule localization microscopy using adaptive optics and single objective light-sheet microscopy. Nat Commun 2025; 16(1):8362. [PMID: 40993142]
- Mu B, Rutkowski DM, Grenci G, Vavylonis D, and Zhang D. Ca2+-dependent vesicular and non-vesicular lipid transfer controls hypoosmotic plasma membrane expansion. BMC Biol 2025; 23(1):207. [PMID: 40629316]
- Ong HT, Karatas E, Poquillon T, Grenci G, Furlan A, Dilasser F, Mohamad Raffi SB, Blanc D, Drimaracci E, Mikec D, Galisot G, Johnson BA, Liu AZ, Thiel C, Ullrich O, , Racine V, and Beghin A. Digitalized organoids: integrated pipeline for high-speed 3D analysis of organoid structures using multilevel segmentation and cellular topology. Nat Methods 2025;. [PMID: 40369245]
- Arora A, Rizvi MS, Grenci G, Dilasser F, Fu C, Ganguly M, Vaishnavi S, Paramsivam K, Budnar S, Noordstra I, Yap AS, and Viasnoff V. Viscous dissipation in the rupture of cell-cell contacts. Nat Mater 2025;. [PMID: 40355570]
- Nakazawa N, Grenci G, Kameo Y, Takeda N, Sawada T, Kurisu J, Zhang Z, Toma K, Adachi T, Nonomura K, and Kengaku M. PIEZO1-dependent mode switch of neuronal migration in heterogeneous microenvironments in the developing brain. Cell Rep 2025; 44(3):115405. [PMID: 40053456]
- Suryana M, Produit T, Yang H, Birarda G, Shanmugar JV, Krivitsky L, Paterova A, and Grenci G. Infrared imaging with visible light in microfluidic devices: the water absorption barrier. Analyst 2024;. [PMID: 39692693]
Selected Publications
- Mona Suryana, Jegan V. Shanmugarajah, Sivakumar M. Maniam, Gianluca Grenci. Soft Lithographic Procedure for Producing Plastic Microfluidic Devices with View-ports Transparent to Visible and Infrared Light
- Mohammed Ashraf, Sree V. Sundararajan, Gianluca Grenci. Low-power, low-pressure reactive-ion etching process for silicon etching with vertical and smooth walls for mechanobiology application
Lab Members
Guiding random events to create resilient patterns
A study from the Saunders lab uncovers how random cell fusion events during muscle development are regulated at the tissue level to ensure correct patterning of the muscle architecture. Learn more
MBI welcomes August 2022 Ph.D. Students
MBI receives 11 new Ph.D. students for the MBI Programme in Mechanobiology, a rigorous four-year graduate programme focused on mechanobiology, biophysics and bioengineering.
Farewell to Hugo Raveton
It’s been a great privilege to have Hugo Raveton with us from Jan - July 2022. All the best to your future endeavour!
MBI welcomes new PI Tsuyoshi Hirashima
MBI is pleased to receive Dr. Tsuyoshi Hirashima as a new Principal Investigator, with a joint-appointment as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology, NUS School of Medicine.
Chan Lab dinner and welcoming interns!
Finally, the lab dinner that is long overdue :) And a warm welcome to the summer interns!
MBI welcomes MUST 2022 Interns
MBI hosts 12 new interns for the MBI Undergraduate Summer Training (MUST) Programme, a 2-month internship exploring mechanobiology.
Latest publication on tissue hydraulics in reproduction is out!
Joe and Tsuyoshi Hirashima (incoming PI) reviewed recent advances in our understanding on how fluid dynamics shape mammalian oogenesis and spermatogenesis.
Talk at EMBO/EMBL Symposium on Mechanobiology in development and disease
Joe shares the latest finding on theca cell mechanosensing and their function in controlling follicle growth at the 2022 EMBO/EMBL symposium on mechanobiology in development and disease.
Modhura Ganguly
PhD Student, Class of January 2022, Toyama Group
Martin Kiwanuka
PhD Student, Class of January 2022, Young Group
A Nervous Contraction
A collaborative study from the Saunders Lab and the Martin-Blanco Lab at the Molecular Biology Institute Barcelona, Spain, demonstrates how the contraction of a Drosophila's ventral nerve cord during development is oscillatory and driven by the combined contractile efforts of individual cells. Learn more
MBI welcomes NUS High School for a Learning Journey into Mechanobiology
MBI opened its doors to the students of NUS High School of Mathematics and Science for a half-day visit around the institute.
Former Lab Members
Guiding random events to create resilient patterns
A study from the Saunders lab uncovers how random cell fusion events during muscle development are regulated at the tissue level to ensure correct patterning of the muscle architecture. Learn more
MBI welcomes August 2022 Ph.D. Students
MBI receives 11 new Ph.D. students for the MBI Programme in Mechanobiology, a rigorous four-year graduate programme focused on mechanobiology, biophysics and bioengineering.
Farewell to Hugo Raveton
It’s been a great privilege to have Hugo Raveton with us from Jan - July 2022. All the best to your future endeavour!
MBI welcomes new PI Tsuyoshi Hirashima
MBI is pleased to receive Dr. Tsuyoshi Hirashima as a new Principal Investigator, with a joint-appointment as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology, NUS School of Medicine.
Chan Lab dinner and welcoming interns!
Finally, the lab dinner that is long overdue :) And a warm welcome to the summer interns!
MBI welcomes MUST 2022 Interns
MBI hosts 12 new interns for the MBI Undergraduate Summer Training (MUST) Programme, a 2-month internship exploring mechanobiology.
Latest publication on tissue hydraulics in reproduction is out!
Joe and Tsuyoshi Hirashima (incoming PI) reviewed recent advances in our understanding on how fluid dynamics shape mammalian oogenesis and spermatogenesis.
Talk at EMBO/EMBL Symposium on Mechanobiology in development and disease
Joe shares the latest finding on theca cell mechanosensing and their function in controlling follicle growth at the 2022 EMBO/EMBL symposium on mechanobiology in development and disease.
Modhura Ganguly
PhD Student, Class of January 2022, Toyama Group
Martin Kiwanuka
PhD Student, Class of January 2022, Young Group
A Nervous Contraction
A collaborative study from the Saunders Lab and the Martin-Blanco Lab at the Molecular Biology Institute Barcelona, Spain, demonstrates how the contraction of a Drosophila's ventral nerve cord during development is oscillatory and driven by the combined contractile efforts of individual cells. Learn more
MBI welcomes NUS High School for a Learning Journey into Mechanobiology
MBI opened its doors to the students of NUS High School of Mathematics and Science for a half-day visit around the institute.
