{"689373":{"#nid":"689373","#data":{"type":"event","title":"Physics of Living Systems (PoLS) Seminar | Dr. Rafael Berbardi| Auburn University GA | Host Prof. JC Gumbart","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ESpeaker: \u003C\/strong\u003EDr. Rafael Bernardi\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHost: \u003C\/strong\u003EProf. JC Gumbart\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETitle: \u003C\/strong\u003EMechanics of Infection: How Forces Shape \u003Cem\u003EStaphylococcus aureus\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;Virulence\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbstract:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EMechanical forces play a central role in biological function, yet their impact on infection and evolution remains poorly understood. In this talk, I will present how concepts from physics, including force propagation, mechanical stability, and energy landscapes, can be used to understand bacterial adhesion at the molecular scale. Using large-scale molecular dynamics simulations combined with dynamic network analysis and single-molecule experiments, we show that \u003Cem\u003EStaphylococcus aureus\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;adhesins are finely tuned to withstand extreme mechanical loads, with calcium acting as a key regulator of their mechanical response. Comparative analysis across strains reveals a clear evolutionary trend toward increased mechanoresilience in more virulent isolates. These computational results, supported by single-molecule measurements, establish a direct link between molecular-scale mechanics and pathogenicity. More broadly, this work highlights how computational biophysics can bridge molecular physics and evolution to uncover how mechanical forces shape biological function.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAbstract:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EMechanical forces play a central role in biological function, yet their impact on infection and evolution remains poorly understood. In this talk, I will present how concepts from physics, including force propagation, mechanical stability, and energy landscapes, can be used to understand bacterial adhesion at the molecular scale. Using large-scale molecular dynamics simulations combined with dynamic network analysis and single-molecule experiments, we show that \u003Cem\u003EStaphylococcus aureus\u003C\/em\u003E\u0026nbsp;adhesins are finely tuned to withstand extreme mechanical loads, with calcium acting as a key regulator of their mechanical response. Comparative analysis across strains reveals a clear evolutionary trend toward increased mechanoresilience in more virulent isolates. These computational results, supported by single-molecule measurements, establish a direct link between molecular-scale mechanics and pathogenicity. More broadly, this work highlights how computational biophysics can bridge molecular physics and evolution to uncover how mechanical forces shape biological function.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Physics of Living Systems (PoLS) Seminar | Dr. Rafael Bernardi | Auburn University GA | Host Prof. JC Gumbart"}],"uid":"30957","created_gmt":"2026-04-01 19:48:51","changed_gmt":"2026-04-01 19:57:30","author":"Shaun Ashley","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-04-14T15:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2026-04-14T16:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-04-14T16:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-04-14 19:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-04-14 20:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-04-14 20:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"Howey N201\/N202","extras":[],"hg_media":{"679826":{"id":"679826","type":"image","title":"rcbernardiphoto.jpg","body":null,"created":"1775073023","gmt_created":"2026-04-01 19:50:23","changed":"1775073023","gmt_changed":"2026-04-01 19:50:23","alt":"rcbernardiphoto.jpg","file":{"fid":"264030","name":"rcbernardiphoto.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/01\/rcbernardiphoto.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/04\/01\/rcbernardiphoto.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":303789,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/04\/01\/rcbernardiphoto.jpg?itok=Wue5e4El"}}},"media_ids":["679826"],"groups":[{"id":"126011","name":"School of Physics"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1795","name":"Seminar\/Lecture\/Colloquium"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"78761","name":"Faculty\/Staff"},{"id":"177814","name":"Postdoc"},{"id":"174045","name":"Graduate students"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}