Integrins, and integrin-mediated adhesions, have long been recognized to provide the main
molecular link attaching cells to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and to serve as bidirectional …

Tumors are characterized by extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, remodeling, and cross-
linking that drive fibrosis to stiffen the stroma and promote malignancy. The stiffened stroma …

INTRODUCTION The human body is a crowded place. This crowding is even more acute
when the regulation of cell growth and proliferation fails during the formation of a tumor …

Integrins are the major family of adhesion molecules that mediate cell adhesion to the
extracellular matrix. They are essential for embryonic development and influence numerous …

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 …

Nanotopography presents an effective physical approach for biomaterial cell manipulation
mediated through material-extracellular matrix interactions. The extracellular matrix that …

Integrins are heterodimeric cell surface receptors ensuring the mechanical connection
between cells and the extracellular matrix. In addition to the anchorage of cells to the …

Cells can detect and react to the biophysical properties of the extracellular environment
through integrin-based adhesion sites and adapt to the extracellular milieu in a process …

Hydrogels are highly water-swollen molecular networks that are ideal platforms to create
tissue mimetics owing to their vast and tunable properties. As such, hydrogels are promising …

Cells exert, sense, and respond to physical forces through an astounding diversity of
mechanisms. Here we review recently developed tools to quantify the forces generated by …