Acting as a bridge between the cytoskeleton of the cell and the extra cellular matrix (ECM),
the cell-ECM adhesions with integrins at their core, play a major role in cell signalling to …

The emergence of collagen I in vertebrates resulted in a dramatic increase in the stiffness of
the extracellular environment, supporting long-range force propagation and the …

A key regulator of collective cell migrations, which drive development and cancer
metastasis, is substrate stiffness. Increased substrate stiffness promotes migration and is …

Cell migration is critical for tissue development and regeneration but requires extracellular
environments that are conducive to motion. Cells may actively generate migratory routes in …

The small heat shock protein HspB1, also known as Hsp25/27, is a ubiquitously expressed
molecular chaperone that responds to mechanical cues. Uniaxial cyclic stretch activates the …

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and its reverse process, mesenchymal-epithelial
transition (MET), are believed to play key roles in facilitating the metastatic cascade …

Keloids are fibroproliferative lesions resulting from an abnormal wound healing process due
to pathological mechanisms that remain incompletely understood. Keloids tend to occur …

Cells interact mechanically with their surroundings by exerting and sensing forces. Traction
force microscopy (TFM), purported to map cell-generated forces or stresses, represents an …

Tissue and cell mechanics are crucial factors in maintaining homeostasis and in
development, with aberrant mechanics contributing to many diseases. During the epithelial …

Long-term multi-functional imaging and analysis of live cells require streamlined functional
coordination of various hardware and software platforms. However, manual control of …