Vivek Shenoy
University of Pennsylvania, PA·Biomedical Engineering
Cells constantly push, pull, and sense forces from their surroundings. These mechanical signals help shape how tissues grow, heal, and fail.
- Fields
Biomedical Engineering
Biophysics
Materials Science
- Topics
mechanobiology
mechanotransduction
cell mechanics
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Sep 2027
What they work on
- Characterize and engineer proteins and nanostructures that respond to piconewton forces and nanometer displacements, to build mechano-biological reagents and materials.
- Determine how cells respond dynamically to mechanical force through feedback among the cytoskeleton, the nucleus, and the extracellular matrix, and how mechano-signals support cell–cell communication.
- Identify matrix-based mechanical cues in plant and animal tissues, and fabricate gels, fibrous networks, and micro-devices to study mechanotransduction, the conversion of force into cell signals.
More about the research
The Science and Technology Center for Engineering Mechano-Biology (CEMB) studies the principles behind this force-based communication between molecules and cells. It brings together researchers from biology, mechanics, and engineering, and it aims to use what it learns to engineer cell-based devices and materials. The center's scope runs from single molecules to whole organisms, in both plants and animals, and from milliseconds to months.
Why it matters
Understanding how forces guide cells could improve how tissues, organs, and implants are built and repaired. It could also help in treating inflammation and fibrosis, in understanding the effects of exercise and trauma, and in adapting plants to changing environments. The center also aims to create optimized synthetic and biomimetic materials, working with industry partners on translation.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Alison Patteson
Syracuse University, NY·Biophysics·Early-career
Determine how vimentin intermediate filaments control the shape and deformability of the nucleus as cells squeeze through confined 3D spaces.
Haogang Cai
New York University, NY·Biomedical Engineering
Determine what drives spatial effects in receptor clustering and how mechanical force shapes them, using nanoengineered surfaces that place signaling molecules with single-molecule precision.
Claudia Loebel
University of Pennsylvania, PA·Biomedical Engineering
Develop new chemistries to change the physical properties of the nascent extracellular matrix in place, inside engineered hydrogels, to control stem and progenitor cell differentiation in 3D cultures.
The school
University of Pennsylvania: 90 labs on PI Pages, $2.2B a year on research, 750 research doctorates a year.
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