Cell migration is an adaptive process that depends on and responds to physical and
molecular triggers. Moving cells sense and respond to tissue mechanics and induce …

Normal tissue cells are generally not viable when suspended in a fluid and are therefore
said to be anchorage dependent. Such cells must adhere to a solid, but a solid can be as …

Animal cells in tissues are supported by biopolymer matrices, which typically exhibit highly
nonlinear mechanical properties. While the linear elasticity of the matrix can significantly …

The stiffness and nanotopographical characteristics of the extracellular matrix (ECM)
influence numerous developmental, physiological, and pathological processes in vivo …

Gold, enigmatically represented by the target-like design of its ancient alchemical symbol,
has been considered a mystical material of great value for centuries. Nanoscale particles of …

Contractile myocytes provide a test of the hypothesis that cells sense their mechanical as
well as molecular microenvironment, altering expression, organization, and/or morphology …

Matrix stiffness (resistance to deformation), one of the many mechanical forces acting on
cells, is increasingly appreciated as an important mediator of cell behavior. It regulates cell …

Many cell types alter their morphology and gene expression profile when grown on
chemically equivalent surfaces with different rigidities. One expectation of this change in …

One of the most unique physical features of cell adhesion to external surfaces is the active
generation of mechanical force at the cell-material interface. This includes pulling forces …

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