BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk//
X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam
BEGIN:VEVENT
SUMMARY:What do cells and tissues feel? Integration of cell contractility\
 , adhesion and ECM stiffness in mechanosensing - Carina Dunlop (University
  of Surrey)
DTSTART:20230908T132000Z
DTEND:20230908T134000Z
UID:TALK203860@talks.cam.ac.uk
DESCRIPTION:The role of tissue stiffness in controlling cell behaviour is 
 well established. This has been shown across cell types and includes behav
 iours such as cell differentiation and even drug susceptibility\, with cle
 ar implications for health and disease. In experimental investigation of m
 echanosensing\, bioengineered gels with defined mechanical properties are 
 used to mimic varying tissue microenvironments. I here present an active m
 atter model for cell contractility and mechanics on controlled stiffness s
 ubstrates. The model incorporates the observed sub-cellular spatial variat
 ions in mechanical activity and adhesion. I show that the stiffness experi
 enced by the cell is not only determined by the actual gel stiffness but r
 ather incorporates the interplay between contractility\, cell adhesion pat
 terning and mechanical response. Significantly\, I show that focal adhesio
 n growth and elongation is only energetically favourable on stiff substrat
 es\, with soft substrates selecting against this behaviour\, as is experim
 entally observed. I will also discuss how this framework scales up in whol
 e tissues looking at recent experimental work by collaborators working wit
 h epithelial sheets on patterned substrates.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Newton Institute
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR