Caitlin E. Cornell

Overcoming steric inhibition of antibody-dependent phagocytosiswith tall adhesions

This paper shows that tall adhesion proteins can overcome steric inhibition of phagocytosis by promoting close contact between macrophages and target cells in crowded environments.

Deep Learning-based Modeling Enhances Efficacy of Natural Ligand CAR Binders Targeting CD70

This study uses deep learning and physics-based modeling to engineer a CD27 variant that improves the efficacy of CD70-targeting CAR T-cells across multiple cancer models.

Ups and downs of liquid-liquid transitions in GUV membranes from osmolarity and aspiration tensions

This study investigates how osmotic pressure and micropipette aspiration affect liquid-liquid phase transitions in giant unilamellar vesicles, finding both can increase transition temperatures.

From biting to engulfment: Target mechanics determines modes of phagocytosis through curvature--actin coupling

This paper develops a theoretical model to simulate phagocytosis of deformable targets and identifies three mechanical regimes based on target stiffness, validated experimentally with GUVs and lymphoma cells.

Target cell tension regulates macrophage trogocytosis

This study shows that target cell cortical tension determines whether macrophages trogocytose or phagocytose, with low tension favoring trogocytosis and high tension favoring phagocytosis.

Micron-scale, liquid-liquid phase separation in ternary lipid membranes containing DPPE

This study investigates how phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) lipids affect liquid-liquid phase separation in model membranes, finding that PE lipids suppress phase separation compared to phosphatidylcholine (PC) lipids.

A cytokinetic ring-driven cell rotation achieves Hertwig's rule in early development

The paper shows that cortical pulling forces misalign the mitotic spindle with the cell's long axis, but an actomyosin-based cell rotation corrects this, aligning the spindle with the long axis, thus fulfilling Hertwig's rule.