Stem cells and their local microenvironment, or niche, communicate through mechanical
cues to regulate cell fate and cell behaviour and to guide developmental processes. During …

Flowing blood generates a frictional force called shear stress that has major effects on
vascular function. Branches and bends of arteries are exposed to complex blood flow …

Stem cells respond to nanoscale surface features, with changes in cell growth and
differentiation mediated by alterations in cell adhesion. The interaction of nanotopographical …

Mechanosensation is perhaps the last sensory modality not understood at the molecular
level. Ion channels that sense mechanical force are postulated to play critical roles in a …

Cancer has been characterized as a genetic disease, associated with mutations that cause
pathological alterations of the cell cycle, adhesion, or invasive motility. Recently, the …

Signalling from the extracellular matrix (ECM) is a fundamental cellular input that sustains
proliferation, opposes cell death and regulates differentiation. Through integrins, cells …

The physical and mechanical properties of the cellular microenvironment regulate cell
shape and can strongly influence cell fate. How mechanical cues are sensed and …

Many genes and molecules that drive tissue patterning during organogenesis and tissue
regeneration have been discovered. Yet, we still lack a full understanding of how these …

Cells sense their physical surroundings through mechanotransduction—that is, by
translating mechanical forces and deformations into biochemical signals such as changes in …

Moving from cell monolayers to three-dimensional (3D) cultures is motivated by the need to
work with cellular models that mimic the functions of living tissues. Essential cellular …