Giancarlo Ruocco is full professor of Condensed Matter Physics at Sapienza University of Rome. His expertise is in the development of new instrumentations for the spectroscopic investigation of disordered solids, glasses and liquids. More recently his interest moved towards the development on new imaging techniques for studying biosystems. He is the director of the “Center for Life Nano- and Neuro-Science (CLN2S)”, a laboratory of the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT). He is the scientific director of two industrial joint laboratories. He is author of 500+ publications. He is member elected of the National Academy of Science of Ukraine, of the Academia Europaea and of the European Academy of Science.

       Mechanical properties of cells and tissues play crucial roles in cellular function, development, and disease. However, conventional techniques for measuring biomechanics are often limited by invasiveness, insufficient spatial resolution, or poor 3D capability. Brillouin microscopy has recently emerged as a non-destructive, label-free, and contact-free optical elastography technique, enabling 3D mapping of viscoelastic properties in biological samples with diffraction-limited resolution. This makes it a powerful tool for studying cellular biomechanics in physiological and pathological contexts. After introducing the technique, we present selected biological applications of Brillouin microscopy. One example concerns the mechanical properties of stress granules, which may provide insight into aggregation processes involved in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis（ALS）. By enabling non-invasive measurements with subcellular resolution, Brillouin microscopy offers a promising approach to studying disease-related cellular biomechanics.