During his studies in biology at the University of Basel (Switzerland), Stefan Harmansa became interested in how size and shape are controlled in biological systems. He then joined Prof. Markus Affolter's team at the Biozentrum Basel for his PhD, during which he focused on the control of organ size by morphogens, signaling factors that form a gradient in developing tissues. Using an innovative technique based on " nanobodies ", small antibodies from camels, he abolished morphogen diffusion and demonstrated the necessity of morphogen diffusion for organ size control.
For his postdoctoral work, he decided to study the role of tissue mechanics during morphogenesis, in the context of organ growth and shape acquisition. He joined Prof. Thomas Lecuit 's research group at IBDM, Marseille (France), to study how cell growth shapes the Drosophila wing precursor. His work has identified the extracellular matrix (ECM), a dense network that lines tissues and provides physical resistance to cells, as a major determinant of organ shape. His work highlights the essential role of ECM growth orientation in controlling the three-dimensional shape of developing organs.
Stefan Harmansa is the winner of the Prix de la Fondation Hugot du Collège de France 2022(proposed by Thomas Lecuit, Dynamics of Living Systems Chair).