The majority of (mammalian) cells in our body are sensitive to mechanical forces, but little work has been done to develop assays to monitor mechanosensor activity. Furthermore, it is currently impossible to use mechanosensor activity to drive gene expression. To address these needs, we developed the first mammalian mechanosensitive synthetic gene network to monitor endothelial cell shear stress levels and directly modulate expression of an atheroprotective transcription factor by shear stress. The technique is highly modular, easily scalable and allows graded control of gene expression by mechanical stimuli in hard-to-transfect mammalian cells. We call this new approach mechanosyngenetics. To insert the gene network into a high proportion ...
Cells such as myocytes and adventitial fibroblasts are responsive to mechanical cues in their local ...
Atherosclerosis is intimately coupled to blood flow by the presence of predilection sites. The coupl...
Essentially all organisms from bacteria to humans are mechanosensitive. Physical forces regulate a l...
The majority of (mammalian) cells in our body are sensitive to mechanical forces, but little work ha...
The prevalent pathology leading to high mortality from cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis. De...
The high mortality from cardiovascular diseases is caused by atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis develo...
Blood flow is an essential contributor to plaque growth, composition and initiation. It is sensed by...
Synthetic biology applies an engineering mindset to the classical field of biology in order to facil...
The goal of this project was to characterize the molecular mechanism by which cells recognize and re...
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may benefit vascular cell-based therapies as smooth muscle or endothel...
The vascular vessel wall is constantly exposed to biomechanical forces, such as shear and tensile st...
Shear stress is known to affect many processes in (patho-) physiology through a complex, multi-molec...
In living cells and organisms there is a myriad of biomolecules that are able to activate specific c...
Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common causes of death in the US and the world. On average...
We investigated a model system for cardiac fibrosis. Cardiac fibrosis is the thickening of the heart...
Cells such as myocytes and adventitial fibroblasts are responsive to mechanical cues in their local ...
Atherosclerosis is intimately coupled to blood flow by the presence of predilection sites. The coupl...
Essentially all organisms from bacteria to humans are mechanosensitive. Physical forces regulate a l...
The majority of (mammalian) cells in our body are sensitive to mechanical forces, but little work ha...
The prevalent pathology leading to high mortality from cardiovascular disease is atherosclerosis. De...
The high mortality from cardiovascular diseases is caused by atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis develo...
Blood flow is an essential contributor to plaque growth, composition and initiation. It is sensed by...
Synthetic biology applies an engineering mindset to the classical field of biology in order to facil...
The goal of this project was to characterize the molecular mechanism by which cells recognize and re...
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may benefit vascular cell-based therapies as smooth muscle or endothel...
The vascular vessel wall is constantly exposed to biomechanical forces, such as shear and tensile st...
Shear stress is known to affect many processes in (patho-) physiology through a complex, multi-molec...
In living cells and organisms there is a myriad of biomolecules that are able to activate specific c...
Cardiovascular disease is one of the most common causes of death in the US and the world. On average...
We investigated a model system for cardiac fibrosis. Cardiac fibrosis is the thickening of the heart...
Cells such as myocytes and adventitial fibroblasts are responsive to mechanical cues in their local ...
Atherosclerosis is intimately coupled to blood flow by the presence of predilection sites. The coupl...
Essentially all organisms from bacteria to humans are mechanosensitive. Physical forces regulate a l...