Fundamental Mechanobiology of Tumor Progression

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Sponsor: University of California Berkeley

Location(s): United States

Description

Mechanobiology seeks to understand how mechanical forces affect proteins, cells and tissues. Mechanical forces change how proteins cluster in membranes, affecting signaling, and also provide specific guidance to cells, helping them to decide where to divide and how to arrange themselves. In related fields such as developmental biology, scientists have long appreciated the role of cell and tissue mechanics. However, the role of mechanics in cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis has received comparatively little attention.