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Beyond the Elastic Modulus: Investigating How Complex Mechanical Cues Regulate Biology
Beyond the Elastic Modulus: Investigating How Complex Mechanical Cues Regulate Biology Ovijit Chaudhuri, Ph.D Assistant Professor Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA E-mail: Chaudhuri@stanford.edu Over the last decade, studies have revealed the important role that the stiffness of a cell adhesion substrate plays in regulating a variety of biological processes in cells, including stem cell differentiation and cancer progression. However, these studies are typically performed using cells cultured on two-dimensional substrates that are purely elastic and coated with a cell adhesion ligand. In contrast, the physiological environment for many cells is a three-dimensional extracellular matrix that strain stiffens and is viscoelastic. This talk will focus on our recent efforts to understand the complex mechanical properties of extracellular matrices, and then to engineer new biomaterials for 3D culture in which properties such as matrix viscoelasticity can be modulated independent of the ligand composition. Using these materials, we find that a complex combination of extracellular matrix cues, beyond the elastic modulus, regulates cell spreading, proliferation, and stem cell differentiation.
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