Tissues lose mechanical integrity when our body is injured. To rapidly restore mechanical
stability a multitude of cell types can jump into action by acquiring a reparative phenotype …

In the body, cells encounter a complex milieu of signals, including topographical cues, in the
form of the physical features of their surrounding environment. Imposed topography can …

Actomyosin contractility affects cellular organization within tissues in part through the
generation of mechanical forces at sites of cell–matrix and cell–cell contact. While increased …

The growth of stem cells can be modulated by physical factors such as extracellular matrix
nanotopography. We hypothesize that nanotopography modulates cell behavior by …

Adhesion sites, which interconnect cells with their neighbors or with the extracellular matrix
(ECM), are large multiprotein complexes that provide mechanical coupling as well as a …

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent cells that have the potential to be used
for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Repairing nerve injury by differentiating …

Many synthetic hydrogels for cell encapsulation have hitherto been based on polyethylene
glycol which is non-natural, non-biodegradable and only terminal-functionalizable, all of …

During cell migration, forces generated by the actin cytoskeleton are transmitted through
adhesion complexes to the substrate. To investigate the mechanism of force generation and …

Osteocytes with long dendritic processes are known to sense mechanical loading, which is
essential for bone remodeling. There has been a long-standing debate with regard to which …

It is becoming increasingly evident that cell biology research can be considerably advanced
through the use of bioengineered tools enabled by nanoscale technologies. Recent …