Cardiovascular diseases represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality, necessitating
research to improve diagnostics, and to discover and test novel preventive and curative …

Cells exert, sense, and respond to the different physical forces through diverse mechanisms
and translating them into biochemical signals. The adhesion of cells is crucial in various …

Valvular interstitial cells (VICs) are active regulators of valve homeostasis and disease,
responsible for secreting and remodeling the valve tissue matrix. As a result of VIC activity …

During every heartbeat, cardiac valves open and close coordinately to control the
unidirectional flow of blood. In this dynamically challenging environment, resident valve cells …

The aortic valve lies in a unique hemodynamic environment, one characterized by a range
of stresses (shear stress, bending forces, loading forces and strain) that vary in intensity and …

Valvular interstitial cells (VICs) are key regulators of the heart valve's extracellular matrix
(ECM), and upon tissue damage, quiescent VIC fibroblasts become activated to …

Surgical replacement of dysfunctional valves is the primary option for the treatment of
valvular disease and congenital defects. Existing mechanical and bioprosthetic replacement …

Cells dynamically assemble and organize into complex tissues during development, and the
resulting three-dimensional (3D) arrangement of cells and their surrounding extracellular …

Differentiation of valve interstitial cells (VICs) into pro-calcific cells is one of the central
events in calcific aortic valve (AoV) disease (CAVD). While the paracrine pathways and the …

Micropipette aspiration (MA) has been used extensively in biomechanical investigations of
un-adhered cells suspended in media. In the current study, a custom MA system is …