报告题目：Matrix Mechanobiology and Cell Contractility in Disease

报告人：Cynthia Reinhart-King, PhD，Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University

时间：11月7日（周一）下午1:30
地点：北大校医院A-534会议室
主持人：熊春阳 教授

报告内容摘要：To adhere and migrate, cells exert traction stresses against their extracellular matrix. In addition to aiding cell movements and helping to maintain cell shape, cellular traction stresses also aid in the ability of cells to probe and remodel their environment. In this talk, I will discuss my lab’s work investigating the role of cellular traction stresses and matrix mechanobiology in mediating cell health. Using a combination of in vitro and ex vivo models, we have shown that changes in cell contractility occur during the progression of two deadly diseases: atherosclerosis and cancer. Altered cellular mechanical forces can lead to changes in the organization and mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix resulting in disorganized tissue structures, a hallmark of both cancer and atherosclerosis. Our data reveal that there exist commonalities in the progression of these diseases, linked through changes in cellular traction stress generation.

报告人简介：Cynthia Reinhart-King is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Cornell University. Prior to coming to Cornell, she obtained her undergraduate degrees at MIT in Chemical Engineering and Biology and her PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania.  She then worked as an NIH NRSA postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Medicine at the University of Rochester. Dr. Reinhart-King’s research expertise is in the area of cell-biomaterial interactions and cell mechanics with specific focus on the progression of cardiovascular disease and cancer. She has received multiple awards for work including the Rita Schaffer Young Investigator Award from the Biomedical Engineering Society and a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. Her lab is funded by the NIH, the American Heart Association, the NSF and the American Federation for Aging Research.

欢迎广大老师和学生参加！