Publications

Extra-cellular matrix and soft tissue mechanics

• Osmotic pressure induces unexpected relaxation of contractile 3D microtissue. (2025). G. Cappello, F. Wodrascka, G. Marquez-Vivas, A.E. Radwan, P. Anoop, P. Mascheroni, J. Fouchard, B. Fabry, D. Ambrosi, P. Recho, S. de Beco, M. Balland, T. Boudou. The European Physical Journal E, 34(48).
• Human adipose stromal cells differentiate towards a tendon phenotype with adapted visco-elastic properties in a 3D-culture system. (2025). M. Horde, J. Fouchard, L.G. Palacios, X. Laffray, C. Blavet, V. Bereziat, C. Lagathu, L. Gaut, D. Duprez and E. Havis. Biology Open, 14 (5), bio061911.
• Laminin γ1-dependent basement membranes are instrumental to ensure proper olfactory placode shape, position and boundary with the brain, as well as olfactory axon development. (2024). P. Tignard, K. Pottin, A. Geeverding, M. Doulazmi, M. Cabrera, C. Fouquet, M. Liffran, J. Fouchard, M. Rosello, S. Albadri, F. Del Bene, A. Trembleau and M.A. Breau. eLife, 12, RP92004.
• High-resolution spatial mapping of shear properties in cartilage. (2010). M.R. Buckley, A.J. Bergou, J. Fouchard, L.J. Bonassar, and I. Cohen. Journal of biomechanics, 43(4):796–800.

Single cell mechanosensing

• Allometric spreading and focal adhesion collective organization are coordinated by cell-scale geometrical constraints. (2025). C. Bimbard, A-A. Wahhod, D. Mitrossilis, J. Vermeil, R. Bousquet, A. Richert, D. Pereira, P. Durand-Smet, J. Etienne, A. Asnacios and J. Fouchard. Biophysical Journal 124(16):2754-2767. Article promoted on the cover of Biophysical Journal. See also description on the journal blog

• Disentangling the contributions of stress fibres and the unbundled actin meshwork to the anisotropy of cortical tension in response to cell shape. (2024). F. Fage, S. Asnacios, A. Pluta, A. Richert, C. Vias, J. Fouchard, H. Enslen, J. Etienne, A. Callan-Jones, M. Thery, D. Pereira, A. Asnacios. bioRxiv 2024.10. 25.620349.
• Cells as liquid motors: Mechanosensitivity emerges from collective dynamics of actomyosin cortex. (2015). J. Étienne, J. Fouchard, D. Mitrossilis, N. Bufi, P. Durand-Smet and A. Asnacios. PNAS, 112(9):2740–2745.
• Three-dimensional cell body shape dictates the onset of traction force generation and growth of focal adhesions. (2014). J. Fouchard, C. Bimbard, N. Bufi, P. Durand-Smet, A. Proag, A. Richert, O. Cardoso, and A. Asnacios. PNAS, 111(36):13075–13080.
• Real-time single-cell response to stiffness. (2010). D. Mitrossilis, J. Fouchard, D. Pereira, F. Postic, A. Richert, M. Saint-Jean, and A. Asnacios. PNAS, 107(38):16518–16523.
• Single-cell response to stiffness exhibits muscle-like behavior. (2009) D. Mitrossilis, J. Fouchard, A. Guiroy, N. Desprat, N. Rodriguez, B. Fabry, and A. Asnacios. PNAS, 106(43):18243–18248.

Flows and folds of epithelial tissues

• Rupture strength of living cell monolayers. (2024). J. Duque, A. Bonfanti, J. Fouchard, L. Baldauf, S. R. Azenha, E. Ferber, A. Harris, E. Barriga, A. Kabla and G. Charras. Nature Materials, 23:1563–1574.
• Curling of epithelial monolayers reveals a coupling between active bending and tissue tension. (2020). J. Fouchard, T. Wyatt, A. Proag, A. Lisica, P. Recho, M. Suzanne, A. Kabla and G. Charras. PNAS, 117(17):9377-9383.
• Actomyosin controls planarity and folding of epithelial monolayers during compression. (2020). T. Wyatt, J. Fouchard, A. Lisica, N. Khalilgharibi, B. Baum, P. Recho, A. Kabla and G. Charras. Nature Materials, 19:109–117. Commented in the same issue: To buckle or not to buckle, U. Schwartz, 19:8–9.
• A tug-of-war between stretching and bending in living cell sheets. (2020). P. Recho, J. Fouchard, T. Wyatt, N. Khalilgharibi, G. Charras and A. Kabla. Physical Review E, 102, 012401.
• A unified rheological model for cells and cellularised materials. (2020). A. Bonfanti, J. Fouchard, N. Khalilgharibi, G. Charras and A. Kabla. Royal Society Open Science, 7:190920.
• Stress relaxation in epithelial monolayers is controlled by actomyosin. (2019) N. Khalilgharibi, J. Fouchard, N. Asadipour, A. Harris, P. Mosaffa, Y. Fujita, A. Kabla, J. Munoz, M. Miodownik, and G. Charras. Nature Physics, 15:839–847.

Mechanics of cell division

• Tension at intercellular junctions is necessary for accurate orientation of cell division in the epithelium plane. (2022). A. Lisica, J. Fouchard, M. Kelkar, T. Wyatt, J. Duque, A.-B. Ndiaye, A. Bonfanti, B. Baum, A. Kabla and G. Charras. PNAS, 119(49), e2201600119.
• MAARS: a novel high-content acquisition software for the analysis of mitotic defects in fission yeast. (2017). T. Li, H. Mary, M. Grosjean, J. Fouchard, S. Cabello, C. Reyes, S. Tournier and Y. Gachet. Molecular Biology of the cell, 28(12), 1601-1611.
• Fission yeast kinesin-8 controls chromosome congression independently of oscillations. (2015). H. Mary, J. Fouchard, G. Gay, C. Reyes, T. Gauthier, C. Gruget, J. Pécréaux, S. Tournier and Y. Gachet. Journal of Cell Science, 128(20):3720–3730.

Reviews and comments

• How dynamic prestress governs the shape of living systems, from the subcellular to tissue scale. (2022). A. Erlich, J. Étienne, J. Fouchard and T. Wyatt. Interface Focus, 12(6), 20220038.
• The dynamic mechanical properties of cellularised aggregates. (2016) N. Khalilgharibi, J. Fouchard, P. Recho, G. Charras and A. Kabla. Current Opinion in Cell Biology, 42(2016): 113-120.
• Acto-myosin based response to stiffness and rigidity sensing. (2011). J. Fouchard, D. Mitrossilis, and A. Asnacios. Cell Adhesion and Migration, 5(1):16–19.

Methods

• Design and optimization of in situ self-functionalizing stress sensors. (2025). O. Vasiljevic, N. Harmand, A. Hubert, L. Kebbal, V. Bormuth, C. Hayn, J. Fouchard, M.A. Breau, L.-L. Pontani, arXiv, 2507.05907.