Research
At the Cellular Mechanobiology Lab we study cells from a physical perspective, trying to understand key biological mechanisms and their impact on physiology and pathology. We are committed to interact with industrial partners and relevant biomedical stakeholders, to consolidate our research in long-lasting contributions towards the achievement of the global goals. Below you find three sentences, to better understand our focus, and a list of running projects and funders of the lab. If you are curious about our research, or you want to collaborate, please feel free to contact us via email.
How do cells respond to mechanical stimuli, either from the environment or associated to internal active mechanisms ? And how is any transient mechanosensing response consolidated in a long term adaptation process, eventually impacting the cellular phenotype (mechanotransduction) ?
We aim at developing and exploiting advanced tools for the quantification of mechanical and morphological parameters of single cells (the physical fingerprint of the cell), and scale up the throughput of traditional nanoengineering approaches to achieve relevance for clinical cell analysis.
Because science is often a random walk in a forest of questions, we are keen to mix advanced tools and technical skills to address intriguing problems in biology and engineering.
Our Research has been funded by
European Innovation Council
With its Pathfinder programme the EIC supports the exploration of bold ideas for radically new technologies. It welcomes the high-risk / high gain and interdisciplinary cutting-edge science collaborations that underpin technological breakthroughs. Pathfinder goes beyond what is already known. Visionary thinking can open up promising avenues towards powerful new technologies.
Leverhulme Trust
The Trust’s mission is to fund excellent, risky and fundamental research, responding to academics’ own research interests and passions. To this end, our funding plays a significant role in making the UK higher education research sector world class. A world class research system must be inclusive of ideas and people.
Animal Free Research UK
Animal Free Research UK has a 50-year history of uniting animal-loving communities and scientists to create a world where we will be able to cure diseases faster, without animals suffering. We want everyone to think big and imagine that future which is within our grasp.
EJP RD
The European Joint Programme on Rare Diseases (EJP RD) is a programme aiming to create an effective rare diseases research ecosystem for progress, innovation and for the benefit of everyone with a rare disease. We support rare diseases stakeholders by funding research, bringing together data resources and tools, providing dedicated training courses, and translating high quality research into effective treatments.
lifETIME CDT
The lifeTIME CDT is a partnership between the University of Glasgow, the University of Birmingham, Aston University and CÚRAM – Science Foundation Ireland. It aims at training innovation leaders for the non-animal technology and regenerative medicine sectors, with multidisciplinary, high-value skills in the design, creation and application of new knowledge to accelerate therapeutic discovery.
Alessandra Bono Foundation
La Fondazione Alessandra Bono Onlus nasce per sostenere progetti di utilità sociale, in particolare nel campo della ricerca scientifica per la prevenzione e per la cura delle patologie oncologiche
Medical Research Scotland
Medical Research Scotland is Scotland's largest independent medical research charity committed to encouraging and supporting promising individuals at the start of their research careers, through the award of doctoral studentships but also through support for undergraduates and scientists returning after a career break.
Royal Society
The Royal Society is a Fellowship of many of the world's most eminent scientists and is the oldest scientific academy in continuous existence.