< Back to previous page

Project

Genes and mechanics: how tissue-specific endothelial cell heterogeneity arises

Blood vessels are much more than simple conduits for blood flow. They are active in controlling exchange between the blood and the tissue. For this reason, blood vessels are not the same in all organs. It is these tissue-specific differences that control blood vessel function and therefore it is essential that we understand how tissue-specific differences arise if we ever want to tissue engineer blood vessels for specific organs. Although people have studied genetic control of endothelial cell differentiation, the mechanical environment in which cells reside also instructs differentiation. We have developed unique tools that will allow us to study the interaction of endothelial cells with their mechanical environment. We also have significant results on the genetic signals involved in tissue-specific differentiation. We propose studying the interplay of these mechanical and genetic signals during endothelial cell differentiation to understand how endothelial cells are programmed for their tissue-specific function.
Date:1 Oct 2019 →  30 Sep 2023
Keywords:endothelial cell heterogeneity, genetic regulation, transcription factor, mechanotransduction, cellular forces, traction force microscopy, fluid flow, extracellular matrix
Disciplines:Molecular and cellular biomechanics, Cardiac and vascular medicine not elsewhere classified