Living cells are constantly exposed to mechanical stimuli arising from the surrounding
extracellular matrix (ECM) or from neighboring cells. The intracellular molecular processes …

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK), a non-receptor tyrosine kinase, is overexpressed and
activated in many cancer types. FAK regulates diverse cellular processes, including growth …

Across complex, multi-time and-length scale biological systems, redundancy confers
robustness and resilience, enabling adaptation and increasing survival under dynamic …

Blood and lymphatic vessels are lined by endothelial cells which constantly interact with
their luminal and abluminal extracellular environments. These interactions confer physical …

Although understanding how soluble cues direct cellular processes revolutionised the study
of cell biology in the second half of the 20th century, over the last two decades, new insights …

The filamentous actin (F-actin) cytoskeleton is a composite material consisting of cortical
actin and bundled F-actin stress fibers, which together mediate the mechanical behaviors of …

The basement membrane (BM) of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a thin extracellular matrix
(ECM) sheet underneath the brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), plays crucial …

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 …

The myofibroblast is a specialized fibroblast that expresses α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)
and participates in wound contraction and fibrosis. The fibroblast to myofibroblast transition …

The extracellular matrix (ECM) mechanical properties regulate key cellular processes in
tissue development and regeneration. The majority of scientific investigation has focused on …