EPFL BioE Talks SERIES "Extracellular Matrix Viscoelasticity and Its Impact on Cells"
Speaker Prof. Ovijit Chaudhuri, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (USA)
via Zoom web-streaming only, due to Covid-19 situation
WEEKLY EPFL BIOE TALKS SERIES
(note that this talk is number one of a double-feature seminar - see details of the second talk here)
The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex assembly of structural proteins that provides physical support and biochemical signaling to cells in tissues. Over the last two decades, studies have revealed the important role that ECM elasticity plays in regulating a variety of biological processes in cells, including stem cell differentiation and cancer progression. However, tissues and ECM are often viscoelastic, displaying stress relaxation over time in response to a deformation, and can exhibit mechanical plasticity. My group has been focused on elucidating the impact of ECM elasticity, viscoelasticity, and plasticity on cells. Our approach involves the use engineered biomaterials for 3D culture, in which the mechanical properties can be independently modulated. In this talk, I will discuss our recent findings on the impact of ECM viscoelasticity on cartilage matrix formation by chondrocytes and cell-cycle progression, the regulation of cancer cell invasion and migration by matrix plasticity, and the transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of mechanotransduction in breast cancer progression.
Dr. Ovijit Chaudhuri is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University. He earned a B.S. in engineering physics with a minor in mathematics at UC Berkeley. Then, he obtained his Ph.D. in bioengineering at UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco, studying force generation and mechanics of actin cytoskeletal networks with Prof. Daniel Fletcher. From there, he went on to do a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University, studying cell mechanotransduction and developing engineered biomaterials for 3D culture with Prof. David Mooney. He joined Stanford in 2013, and his research interests are in cell biophysics and mechanotransduction. His honors include a DARPA young faculty award, an NSF CAREER award,an American Cancer Society research scholar award, and a National Research Service Award. His group's research has been supported by the NIH, the NSF, the American Cancer Society, DARPA, and Stanford's Bio-X Institute. More information about his group's work can be found at https://chaudhurilab.stanford.edu.
Zoom link (with registration) for attending remotely: https://go.epfl.ch/EPFLBioETalks
IMPORTANT NOTICE: due to restrictions resulting from the ongoing Covid-19 situation, this seminar can be followed via Zoom web-streaming only, following prior one-time registration through the link above.
Informed public
Prof. Dominique Pioletti
Institute of Bioengineering (IBI), Dietrich REINHARD
Institute of Bioengineering - IBI