Our goal is to unravel, through quantitative experiments and analyses under simplified conditions, the physical mechanisms underlying fascinating cellular dynamics. Our lab studies the mechanics of cells with special emphasis on the development of mechanical stimulation platforms to study cell responses.
My main research interests center around the emerging interdisciplinary mechanobiology. At the center of mechanobiology is the process of mechanotransduction, the way cells sense and respond to various mechanical stimulations. We focus on the development of mechanical stimulation systems suitable for biological assays to investigate cellular level mechanobiology in a number of different cell types. We aim to find links between physiological changes in disease and differentiation states and cellular biomechanics in light of therapeutic and tissue engineering applications. We also study biological motility at a cellular level as well as an organism level mechanoresponse of C. elegans in various mechanical environments.
Research projects for students are designed to utilize engineering tools such as conventional light microscopy, confocal microscopy, electron microscopy, force microscopy (AFM), laser trapping, basic biochemistry lab techniques, microfabrication, as well as engineering modeling and simulations. Ultimate goal is to establish medical devices and protocols that aid in clinical diagnosis and treatment of diseases based on our understanding of cell and molecular mechanics.