Mechanics and Computation / View source

for Cell Contractility in Disease Progression

=Cynthia Reinhart-King, Ph.D.=
===April 21, 2011===

Cell Contractility in Disease Progression

To adhere and migrate, cells exert traction stresses against their extracellular matrix.  In addition to aiding cell movements and helping to maintain cell shape, cellular traction stresses also aid in the ability of cells to probe and remodel their environment.  In this talk, I will discuss my lab’s work investigating the role of cellular traction stresses in mediating cell health.  Using a combination of in vitro and ex vivo models, we have shown that changes in cell contractility occur during the progression of two deadly diseases: atherosclerosis and cancer.  Altered cellular mechanical forces can lead to changes in the organization and mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix resulting in disorganized tissue structures, a hallmark of both cancer and atherosclerosis. Our data reveal that there exist commonalities in the progression of these diseases, linked through changes in cellular traction stress generation.

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