Applied Mechanobiology - Prof. Viola Vogel

Mission statement

The Applied Mechanobiology Laboratory exploits nanotechnology tools to decipher how bacteria, mammalian cells, and micro-tissues take advantage of mechanical forces to recognize and respond to material properties in their native environments. Our overarching goal is to discover mechanisms how nature exploits mechanical forces as an additional dimension of functional regulation and how these insights can be exploited for biomedical applications and in regenerative medicine. This includes asking how the mechanobiology of extracellular matrix directs stem cell differentiation and (micro)tissue growth and functions. Also bacteria sense mechanical forces which regulate their adhesion to surfaces and tissue fibers, and immune cells use mechanical forces to fight bacterial infections. The discoveries of the Lab in single molecule and cell mechanics and how protein stretching switches their function, have a wide range of technical and medical implications. In collaboration with clinicians, several technologies are currently carried towards preclinical studies. Our future goal is to exploit our interdisciplinary strength in basic research, while translating key discoveries towards the clinic.