Abstract
Understanding and treating chronic respiratory diseases are growing medical challenges due to changes in our lifestyles and environment. The epithelium of the respiratory tract is the first barrier against external aggression, in particular thanks to the mucociliary function. Functional elements are the mucus layer lining the tissue and the beating of cilia from the ciliated cells of the epithelium. Mucus is a complex and heterogeneous fluid that acts as a protective barrier by trapping particles and pathogens present in the inhaled air, while the coordination of the cilia beating allows the directed transport of the mucus layer and its evacuation from the bronchi. The mechanical properties of mucus coupled with the coordination mechanisms of beating cilia are still poorly understood. My thesis work focused on two biophysical aspects of these mechanisms: i) the study of mucus rheology at two scales, in macro-rheology and by active micro-rheology using optical tweezers directly on the tissue; ii) the understanding and quantification of the spatiotemporal coordination of ciliary activity and on the associated mucus transport, by developing a new tool for processing video-microscopy images and data analysis.