Stem cells and their local microenvironment, or niche, communicate through mechanical
cues to regulate cell fate and cell behaviour and to guide developmental processes. During …

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 …

Living systems operate far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Enzymatic activity can induce
broken detailed balance at the molecular scale. This molecular scale breaking of detailed …

Metastasis is a complex, multistep process responsible for> 90% of cancer-related deaths. In
addition to genetic and external environmental factors, the physical interactions of cancer …

Apical constriction is a cell shape change that promotes tissue remodeling in a variety of
homeostatic and developmental contexts, including gastrulation in many organisms and …

How tissue shape emerges from the collective mechanical properties and behavior of
individual cells is not understood. We combine experiment and theory to study this problem …

All cell types polarize, at least transiently, during division or to generate specialized shapes
and functions. This capacity extends from yeast to mammals, and it is now clear that many …

The orientation of cell division along the long axis of the interphase cell—the century-old
Hertwig's rule—has profound roles in tissue proliferation, morphogenesis, architecture and …

Asymmetric cell divisions are essential for the development of multicellular organisms. To
proceed, they require an initially symmetric cell to polarize. In Caenorhabditis elegans …

Multiple centrosomes in tumor cells create the potential for multipolar divisions that can lead
to aneuploidy and cell death. Nevertheless, many cancer cells successfully divide because …