Methods to visualize and quantify the molecular responses of cells to local forces exerted at adhesions are crucial to elucidate how physical forces control cellular behavior. Of the many proteins inv...

van der Net et al. show that mechanical interactions with the stromal component collagen I trigger reprogramming of colorectal cancer cells into a fetal-like state, through mechanosensitive integrins ...

Statistical thinking is a core part of solid, trustworthy biology. However, many studies still include insufficient sample sizes, have poor experimental design or select an incorrect statistical metho...

Mice were group housed in individually ventilated cages with access to water and food under a 12-h light/12-h dark cycle. Mouse rooms were maintained at 18–25 °C and 30-70% relative humidity. C57BL/6NTac female mice, aged P25 – P28, were euthanized...

Vinculin buffers force via dynamic domain unfolding/refolding under physiological load and lacks a stable head-tail lock.

Background In this paper, we introduce an image analysis approach for spatiotemporal segmentation, quantification, and visualization of movement or contraction patterns in 2D+t and 3D+t microscopy rec...

Tumour development and progression are associated with biophysical alterations that manifest across multiple spatial scales, from the subcellular to multicellular tissue scale. While cells can dynamic...

Cleavage - the series of rapid cell divisions that follow fertilization - marks the onset of metazoan development and represents a deeply conserved evolutionary process. Across animals, two principal ...

Nature Reviews Bioengineering, Published online: 13 October 2025; doi:10.1038/s44222-025-00366-7Cells convert mechanical forces into biochemical signals through mechanotransduction, a process which can now be synthetically engineered. In this Review, we examine engineered artificial mechanotransduction mechanisms, from gene circuits responsive to mechanical cues to synthetic force-generating systems that reshape tissue behaviour and cellular function.