And that's it! Thank you to everyone for attending
#MBIConf2023
and making it such an awesome conference! 😊 Hope you enjoyed your time here and safe travels back home! 👋
Interested in a PhD in mechanobiology? We have 12 fully funded PhD scholarships available for students with a STEM background. Apply by 15 January 2021!
Yee Han’s images showcasing the beauty of biological asymmetry 🌀 has been honoured by
@BPoD_mrc
as the Biomedical Picture of the Day!
Check out the post here ↗️
The MBI community warmly welcomes Prof Rong Li, a Bloomberg Distinguished Professor at the Johns Hopkins University, as our new Director!
Prof Li, who succeeds MBI's founding director Prof Michael Sheetz, will join us from 1 July 2019.
How does the interplay between the rheological properties of the cytoskeleton & rigidity sensing mechanisms guide cellular behavior? This recent
@PNAS
study led by
@MBIsg
researchers along with scientists from
@CNRS
explains
#rigiditysensing
#MBIResearch
New publication from
@TimESaunders
(
@warwickuni
) and
@QuiqueBarna
(
@IBMB_CSIC
) detailing the mechanism and physical forces powering the oscillatory condensation of the Drosophila's ventral nerve cord during morphogenesis 🪗
🔗
📰
Big or small, there is beauty across all scales of our universe 🎇
Our MBI Fellow Tee Yee Han & Goh Weijia of
@SaneAsia
captured some scintillating images of chiral actin (blue) & vimentin (yellow) at a single basal plane of the human foreskin fibroblast with STED microscopy! ✨
Mechanical stretching can selectively kill tumour cells while promoting normal cell growth. By
@AjayTijore
and colleagues from the Sheetz and
@CTLimLab
labs at
@MBIsg
, and published in
@Biomaterials_
🚨 New Conference Alert! 🚨
MBI is organizing the "MBI Conference 2023: Mechanobiology in Health and Disease" from 26-29 Sep 2023 in Singapore 🇸🇬
Register by 15 May for early bird rates + Send in your abstract to showcase your work!
Visit ↗️
The afternoon session kicks off with a great talk from
@PCusachs
describing his lab’s work on how intermediate filaments mechanically protects the nucleus from deformation and mechanosignaling, providing another cytoskeletal system to prevent or maintain force transmission✋
Less than a month for short talk abstracts (September 30) and just a little over a month (October 10) for poster abstracts to be sent in for this year's virtual
@MBIsg
conference
#Morphogenesis2020
. Check out complete event details here:
The Mechanobiology Institute is proud to host the 2022 East Asian Single-Molecule Biophysics Symposium (
#EASMB2022
) for its 3rd iteration! Registration is now open. Send in your abstract for a chance to showcase your work 📰
📅 18 – 20 Oct, Online 🖥️
🔗
Our appreciation for Prof Michael Sheetz who has successfully steered us into being one of the top institutions in the field of mechanobiology, over his decade-long stint as the founding director of
@MBIsg
@NUSingapore
.
Pics from the felicitation dinner held for Prof Sheetz:
Come join us at the Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore! We’re searching for faculty at all levels - Assistant, Associate, and Full Professor. For details and how to apply, visit
The ability of cells to sense the curvature of its surroundings is guided by the direction of actin flow within the cells! A recent study from the Ladoux Lab at
@MBIsg
published
@NaturePhysics
() .
An article summarizing the study :
Welcome back to MBI,
@anups_11
! Great to hear how his lab is focusing on C. elegans and investigating the actin cortex, specifically on how it influences the localisation of proteins 🗺️
This is a great resource that I share with students taking the Advanced
#CellBiology
Course every year. It is put together by
@MBIsg
and If you have not explored this, do check it out.
Happy September 🍂 It’s T-minus 21 days to our flagship MBI Conference 2023: Mechanobiology in Health and Disease! 💪
The updated programme and talk titles are up! Check them out here 👉
#MBIConf2023
#3M2021
has started! 3 days of talks on engineering tools for mechanobiology. More that 500 attendees in 18 satellite centres across the Asia Pacific region.
Happy National Day, Singapore! 🎉🇸🇬🥳
Cynthia Liang from our Core Facilities has been conferred the National Day Award by the Prime Minister’s Office. For her steadfast dedication to her duties, she has received "The Efficiency Medal".
Congratulations Cynthia!🎖️
#NDP2022
Happy
#TGIF
!
Last Friday Night (Evening), MBI had its long-awaited
#TGIF
#HappyHour
! Celebrating the Conclusion of the MUST Programme + Arrival of new Ph.D. students + Hard work and achievements of MBI staff = Posters + Prizes + Buffet! 🥳
@SamStehbens
showed how the mechanoadaptive nature of microtubules allows cells to move in 3D, by forming a cushion to protect the cells against confinement-induced pressure. She also raised the interesting concept of a microtubule mechanostat in response to compression 🤏
When dead cells are squeezed out, their neighboring cells are stretched in the process.
@Yusuke_Toyama
from
@MBIsg
showed how their uneven mechanical tension + uneven mechanotransduction from different nuclei sizes affect cell cycle progression and cell fate 🔗
Welcome Tsuyoshi Hirashima (
@hirashima0203
) to MBI! 🎉
We are pleased to be having Tsuyoshi as new PI and to be lent his expertise in collective cell dynamics in development & reproduction 🥼
🔗
Finally, my group introduction is on the MBI
@MBIsg
website! Yes, "He has since joined MBI in 2022 to further pursue his scientific and personal curiosity." Looking for students and post-docs!
As Prof Li Rong officially starts as the new director of
@MBIsg
today, this article in AlumNUS
@NUSingapore
focuses on how MBI has become a leading institute in mechanobiology & how she plans to expand on current research & explore promising new directions
Congratulations to
@AlexanderBersh1
and Yee Han for their recent paper () on chirality in single cells and cell collectives which was featured on the
@NatureComms
Editors' Highlights page!
Fascinating talk from
@TejalADesai
on how her lab is developing nanostructures for transport across the epithelia. Combined with presentation of peptides or antibodies, modulating epithelial permeability is an exciting approach for drug delivery and therapeutics 🚝
Next, Martijn Gloerich of
@gloerichlab
described how epithelial cells can ‘sense’ cell density and regulate division through a mechanical checkpoint cell cycle, and how cancer cells can lose this mechanical regulation and revert to a regenerative state that promotes metastasis 🔄
Great story in
@nature
on forces in embryogenesis. Featuring work by
@ShaoboZhang6
from the
@TimESaunders
lab on heart formation.
The secret forces that squeeze and pull life into shape
🚨 PhD Openings Alert! 🚨
Fancy a graduate degree in
#mechanobiology
? MBI is accepting applications for our Aug'24 PhD Programme intake!
✅ Excellent labs, facilities & mentors
✅ Great community & opportunities
✅ Live in 🇸🇬
Apply by 14 Jan + More 👇
🚨 PhD Openings Alert! 🚨
Fancy a graduate degree in
#mechanobiology
? MBI is accepting applications for our Aug'24 PhD Programme intake!
✅ Excellent labs, facilities & mentors
✅ Great community & opportunities
✅ Live in 🇸🇬
Apply by 14 Jan + More 👇
#Hiring
new faculty at all levels!
Seeking
#PI
candidates dedicated to multidisciplinary research on development, aging and repair. Successful ones will hold a joint-appointment as a Prof. / Assoc. Prof. / Asst. Prof. at a suitable department
@NUSingapore
.
📧 mbihr
@nus
.edu.sg
Save the date!
@ahcells
and Thuan Beng Saw from
@MBIsg
and
@BME_NUS
are organising a hybrid scientific meeting: "Materials, Mimics, and Microfluidics:
Engineering Tools for Mechanobiology" on July 21-23, 2021. More details to follow soon!
Looking for the latest on integrin-mediated adhesions between cell and ECM? ⛓️ Check out this new review (with beautiful figures) by
@KanchanawongLab
and
@CalderwoodLab
in
@NatRevMCB
here ⬇️
🔗
@AriktaB
of
@ChiiJChan1
Lab investigated the mechanical forces driving folliculogenesis, discovering that theca cells are the contractile sources exerting compressive forces on follicles, which is essential for follicular growth and regulation of their mechanical properties ☕️
MBI would like to give an enormous welcome to 5 new PhD students for the Class of August 2023! ✨ Here they are looking cool, confident and ready to kick off their doctoral studies! 🥼
1⃣ week left to go for
#EASMB2022
!
Curious about Single-Molecule Biophysics? 🧐 Don't miss this opportunity to register for this FREE and VIRTUAL 3-day symposium we are hosting 🪩
📅 18 – 20 Oct 2022, Online 🖥️
🔗
A new paper from the Viasnoff lab uses fabricated 3D microenvironments to reveal the how liver cells develop apicobasal polarity at a single-cell level
Geetika Sahni from
@Viasnofflab
showed their 3D-engineered gastruloid model, which recapitulates spatial localization of growth factors, triggering differentiation + germ layer patterning at a transcriptional level, making it capable of reproducing gastrulation-like events 💠
Anne
@BeghinTeam
(
@NusmedIP
) and Gianluca completed their parabolic flight with
@UZHspacehub
! They successfully tested their ZeroG wells for organoid production in microgravity - we will have an in-depth story when they return to MBI. For now, enjoy this video of their trip!
MBI Director Prof Li Rong has been awarded the Senior Leadership Award by the American Society of Cell Biology
@ACSBiology
, in recognition of her outstanding scientific achievements and excellent leadership skills.
Congrats Prof Li!
And that's a wrap! Thanks to everyone who attended
#Morphogenesis2020
Remember that our Conference Portal will remain online for 2 weeks for everyone to access the talks, posters, and to continue the discussion! Hope to see you in-person or online for our next conference.
There's no brighter indicator of Summer at MBI than seeing the gleaming, new MUST interns! 😎
Finishing with a flourish after intense lessons & labwork last month, they swept audiences away with their smooth poster presentations & salsa moves 💃
Read ↗️
Plenty of time to apply to our MBI PhD Programme!
Application deadline for the August 2024 intake is 14 January 2024. 👩🔬👨🔬
For more information, check out
Confinement can also drive cell epigenetics and differentiation!
@GaoGerard
@ConfinementLab
nicely showed how the length and width of narrow microchannels can modulate osteogenesis in human mesenchymal stem cells, and the importance of nuclear deformation in this process 🗜️
Different actin organization patterns in fibroblasts and epithelial cell subtypes? Revealed by a recent study from the Bershadsky Lab
@MBIsg
published in the Journal of Cell Science.
New preprint of a collaboration between the Bershadsky and
@Viasnofflab
- Crosstalk between myosin II and formin functions in the regulation of force generation and actomyosin dynamics in stress fibers
The 3rd International Symposium on Mechanobiology, organized by the Mechanobiology Institute and the International Society of Mechanobiology, is underway at U-town, National University of Singapore
#ISMBIII
Fascinating new work from
@srikalaraghava1
on the role of LINC complex proteins in the skin. In the absence of LINC complex, skin looks to form normally, yet there are interesting changes in proliferation, differentiation, cell-cell junctions and actin cytoskeleton regulation 😮
Li-Kun Phng of
@LabPhng
showed how hydrostatic pressure can regulate endothelial cell migration during angiogenic sprouting. Aquaporins are expressed at the tip of the leading edge increases actin polymerisation which enhances sprout tip formation and protrusion of filopodia 🌊
Last day today for submitting abstracts for being selected to present short talks at the virtual
#Morphogenesis2020
conference (October 28-30, 2020) organized by
@MBIsg
.
Abstract submission deadline for posters coming up soon (10 October)!!
Important insights by
@johannaivaska
from
@IvaskaLab
on focal adhesion (FA) organization in iPSCs and how the disruption of FA architecture disrupts their state of pluripotency amd their colony morphology
#MBI10
Excellent insights into the microengineered 2D & 3D biomimetic substrates developed to study epithelial tissue mechanics and migration and the various mechanical tools that probe the rheological properties of tissues. Reviewed in
@NatRevMater
@MBIsg
@CNRS
MBI Director
@RongLiLab
closes out
#Morphogenesis2020
with a talk on the role of hypo-osmotic stress in driving asymmetric meiotic division and some future directions for
@MBIsg
P.S. - we're hiring fellows and faculty positions. Check our website if interested!
Great start to the ECM mechanobiology session with an informative overview from
@Vogel_Lab
on how stretching ECM proteins acts as mechano-chemical switches, followed by her lab’s latest work studying ECM mechanobiology in organ-specific cell niches ↔️
MBI Conference 2023: Mechanobiology in Health and Disease commences with opening remarks by our Director
@RongLabOfficial
! This is our largest in-person conference to date with more than 250 attendees joining forces from 21 countries to discover about mechanobiology! 🤝
Great to see
@AjayTijore
back at MBI to speak about his lab’s work showing how confinement can suppress mechanical stretch & ultrasound mediated cancer cell death due to an inhibition of adhesion formation and resulting inability to sense and transduce mechanical forces 🛑
Starting off, Arezki Boudaoud (
@RDPLyon
@polytechnique
) gave us a deep look into the role of hydraulics in plant development, studying cell turgor pressure and hydraulic conductivity using novel methods and how their spatiotemporal variations effect cell growth and size.
An insightful mini-review by scientists from
@MBIsg
and IMCB
@astar_research
on the recent developments highlighting the link between apicobasal polarity development and genetic specification of cell lineage.
Published in current Opinion in Cell Biology
New Academic Year, New Graduate Students 🎓
MBI is excited to have 11 new students joining us for our Ph.D. Programme in Mechanobiology! Watch out for them — they're a force to be reckoned with 🎇
🔗
Look who’s back at MBI! Great to have Andrea Ravasio
@ucatolica
@devmechcl
visiting Singapore 🇸🇬 all the way from Chile 🇨🇱 to talk about his research trying to understand the mechanobiology of how killifish embryos are drought resistant.
From
@ChiiJChan1
lab too, Lou Yuting explained how she built a new, minimal biophysical model for the growth of the ovarian secondary follicle, using a non-exponential biphase model and taking into account different proliferation rates for the different granulosa cell layers 👊
🚨 New Conference Alert! 🚨
MBI is organizing the "MBI Conference 2023: Mechanobiology in Health and Disease" from 26-29 Sep 2023 in Singapore 🇸🇬
Register by 15 May for early bird rates + Send in your abstract to showcase your work!
Visit ↗️
Special thanks to the organizing committee and our behind-the-scenes support staff for making sure the whole conference ran smoothly! Enjoy the weekend and the mooncakes 🥮
First,
@KraussLab
tackled the question of how quiescent stem cells detect tissue damage and initiate the quiescence-activation transition. His lab showed how muscle stem cells retract projections during injury, and these can sense biomechanical shifts or signals for activation 💪
@aashrithsarasw1
from
@theChaudhurilab
shared about 3D-modelling the invasion of basement membrane (BM) during breast cancer and discovered how cells physically breach the BM through forces, from global cell volume expansion and local cell contractility at the site of invasion 🤜
MBI warmly welcomes 2022's MUST interns!
These aspiring young scientists are here to explore the world of
#mechanobiology
and learn the ins-and-outs of
#research
this summer 🥽
🔗
@shailajaseethar
from
@squishycell1
lab presented her work on the role of shear stress in atherosclerosis, and how FHL2 activation mediates this response. Overexpression of FHL2 leads to an atherosclerotic phenotype, and knockdown of FHL2 can be athero-protective✊
@AlexanderBersh1
of
@MBIsg
described the interplay between focal adhesions, actomyosin cytoskeleton and microtubule network, as well as the important role of KANK protein coupling these components. Microtubules associating with the FAs induce sliding, then disassembly 🛝
We're hiring for tenure-track faculty positions at all levels!
More information at
Or check out our print advertisements in the 30 May issue of
@nature
and the 7 June issue of
@sciencemagazine
🚨 Reminder for
#MBIConf2023
! 🚨
3⃣ more days until deadline (30 Jun) to submit:
▪️ Abstract for a chance to give a Short Talk 🗨️
▪️ Application + abstract for a chance to get a Travel Award 🧳
Don't miss this chance! More info. here:
Thanks to
@kumarlabucb
for powering through AV issues to deliver a great talk on his lab’s efforts to identify the mechanosensor EGR1, which converts inputs on ECM stiffness for neural stem cell fate decisions, and early hints on how invading tumors manage oxidative stress ⚡️
🚨 Recruiting new PIs! 🚨
Researchers at the Mechanobiology Institute
@NUSingapore
can enjoy state-of-the-art facilities & a collaborative work environment. Here are the latest PIs who have joined the MBI community — Come join us too!
#Hiring
new faculty at all levels!
Seeking
#PI
candidates dedicated to multidisciplinary research on development, aging and repair. Successful ones will hold a joint-appointment as a Prof. / Assoc. Prof. / Asst. Prof. at a suitable department
@NUSingapore
.
📧 mbihr
@nus
.edu.sg
Great talk by Satyajit Mayor from
@NCBS_Bangalore
on how mechanosignaling downstream of ligand-bound integrins leads to nanoclustering of GPI-anchored proteins that is essential for integrin receptor functions
#MBI10
Next Monday,
@Yusuke_Toyama
will be speaking at the Signaling by Adhesion Receptors Conference by
@GordonConf
about Cell Adhesion in Maintaining the Homeostatic Cell Number in Epithelium 🔢
📅 17 – 22 July 2022, Southern New Hampshire University, USA
🔗
Extremely proud that our very own
@MBI_YSG
(Young Scientist Group) — made up of graduate students and postdocs — took the initiative to organise their very own symposium to connect their fellow peers with the wider MBI community!
An exciting day for MBI as we host our first ever internal symposium! MBI-YSG has prepared a range of talks for the MBI community, from the development of Mechanobiology over time, grants to career development!
#MBIYSG2021
Stay tuned for a sneak peek of our symposium today!
Last few weeks remaining to register for our upcoming Cell & Tissue Hydraulics Mini-Symposium2021 on 20-22 October! The
@gather_town
demo room is also ready to check out for poster presentations and discussions.
More tumour models! Danielle Vahala from the
@yusukchoi
lab showed us how she is using stiffness gradient hydrogels to study how breast cancer mechanically sense their surroundings during tumour migration and invasion
#3M2021
How do random cell fusion events coordinate to ensure robust muscle patterns? Find out at featuring the recent work and wonderful videos from
@MarioMendieta_S
@TimESaunders
published in
@Dev_Cell
An important role for Kank-mediated linkage of focal adhesions and podosomes with microtubules in regulating their dynamics: a possible microtubule targeting approach for treating cancers and angiogenesis?? Alexander Bershadsky
@WeizmannScience
and
@MBIsg
elaborates at
#MBI10
Are you an undergraduate thinking ahead about what to do this summer break? 🌞
Join our MBI Undergraduate Summer Training Programme for 2023! Explore mechanobiology, learn new skills and receive a S$1,000/mth stipend.
Only 10 more days left to apply!
—