Vinay Swaminathan

Our research

The goal of Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Mechanobiology (LCMM) is to gain a quantitative, molecular-level understanding of how cells and tissues sense, transmit and respond to mechanical information from their environment to regulate critical physiological functions. 

Cells in our body exist not only in a rich biochemical environment but also in a highly complex and dynamic mechanical environment. Whether it is blood flow, lung expansion, heart contraction or the matrix that surrounds cells everywhere, this environment is critical for most important functions in life. Starting from embryogenesis, tissue development and differentiation to immune, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and brain function, the mechanical environment plays an important role in all these processes through regulatory interactions with cellular function. Not surprisingly, breakdown or mis-regulation of the interactions between cellular functions and the mechanical environment results in developmental defects, immune disorders, cardiomyopathies and cancer.

We are primarily but not exclusively interested in the cellular function of directed cell migration and the role of integrin-based adhesions as sensors, transmitters and transducers of mechanical information.

Aims

Our aims centered around our main hypothesis that multi-molecular structures such as adhesions allow a cell to sense and respond to mechanical cues such as matrix stiffness, fluid flow by encoding that information and cellular response in its dynamic architecture and composition. To test our hypothesis, we utilize a wide array of quantitative microscopy-based approaches and tools from engineering, physics and cell biology and investigate the relationship between forces/mechanics and molecular, sub-cellular and cellular organization, signaling and dynamics in basic two-dimensional cell line systems.

Our ultimate aim is to extend our fundamental and mechanistic knowledge to 3D-cancer models where changes in the microenvironment leads to tumor growth and metastasis through breakdown of homeostasis between cells and their mechanical environment.

By identifying pathways that go awry in cancer, we hope to contribute in developing novel therapeutics and targeting strategies.

Strengths of the group

LCMM is a highly interdisciplinary group with members with background in cell and molecular biology, physics and materials sciences. We primary use advanced high and super-resolution microscopy and image analysis techniques to gain quantitative information on cellular dynamics, signaling and cell-ECM interactions. We have also developed new biomaterials-based approaches to recapitulate 3D cell-microenvironment in-vitro and use these systems to test the physiological relevance of our fundamental discoveries. 

Impact

LCMM have discovered several important mechanisms related to cell-mechanical ECM interactions including discovering orientational ordering of integrins and actin in focal adhesions, characterizing the relationship between mechanical stiffness of ovarian cancer cells and disease progression and identifying important signaling proteins in Rho-GTPase signaling pathway in mechanotransduction. 

| Research Output

Affiliations

• Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine 
• NanoLund
• Lund University Cancer Center

Social media

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• Website: Laboratory of Cell and Molecular Mechanobiology