Transmission of mechanical force is crucial for normal cell development and functioning.
However, the process of mechanotransduction cannot be studied in isolation from cell …

The notion that cell shape and spreading can regulate cell proliferation has evolved over
several years, but only recently has this been linked to forces from within and upon the cell …

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex assembly of structural proteins that provides
physical support and biochemical signaling to cells in tissues. The mechanical properties of …

The mechanical properties of soft biological tissues are essential to their physiological
function and cannot easily be duplicated by synthetic materials. Unlike simple polymer gels …

Focal adhesions are large protein complexes organized at the basal surface of cells, which
physically connect the extracellular matrix to the cytoskeleton and have long been …

A multitude of cellular and subcellular processes depend critically on the mechanical
deformability of the cytoplasm. We have recently introduced the method of particle-tracking …

Background Cell stiffness is a crucial mechanical property that is closely related to cell
motility. AFM is the most prevalent method used to determine cell stiffness by the quantitative …

Dynamic regulation of the filamentous actin (F-actin) cytoskeleton is critical to numerous
physical cellular processes, including cell adhesion, migration and division. Each of these …

D'Arcy Thompson was a proponent of applying mathematical and physical principles to
biological systems, an approach that is becoming increasingly common in developmental …

This article presents a review of the current understanding of the mechanics of random fiber
networks. The discussion refers to athermal fiber networks, for which the governing …