Centre for the Cellular Microenvironment

🚀Huge congrats to @NadiaSoulioti.bsky.social on passing her PhD viva yesterday! I’m so proud of you! 🥳🎉

🧪Thanks to the exam panel: Andrew Hoy (UNSW Sydney, external), @MarcoCantini.bsky.social (internal), and Catherine Berry (convener) from @uofglasgow.bsky.social @theglasgowcemi.bsky.social

Glasgow representation is strong @cellmech2025.bsky.social with @unistrathclyde.bsky.social & @uofglasgow.bsky.social @theglasgowcemi.bsky.social cell mechanobiologists united 😊!

The core team of the Tenovus Scotland-funded Small Pilot Grant project "Leveraging mechanobiology for the optimisation of in vitro muscle-related disease models" is on the case😊, with a strong 4th&5th year students-driven component! @unistrathclyde.bsky.social @theglasgowcemi.bsky.social

Alexandre, from @theglasgowcemi.bsky.social, will share how our team is developing “symbiotic engineered living materials” — 3D constructs where genetically engineered helper cells detect metabolic cues from mesenchymal stem cells and respond by secreting lineage-specific growth factors.

We are very happy 😄 that our Rheinland-Pfalz & Scotland exchange project started, jointly awarded by @sulsa.bsky.social and JGU Scotland Hub, sponsored by the governments of 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 & Rheinland-Pfalz. 1/2
@unistrathclyde.bsky.social @theglasgowcemi.bsky.social @imbmainz.bsky.social @unimainz.bsky.social

University of Glasgow illuminated in rainbow pride flag colours

Queer teachers are living proof of queer futures - created by Adrian

A group of people standing outside of the univeristy of glasgow main building

Lauren stands in front of a presentation screen, it's titled: Category is... staff and student experiences of rainbow office hours.

As we mark #PrideMonth, we take this moment to celebrate LGBTQ+ identities and also reflect on the ongoing work to make our universities places where every member can thrive.

Thank you to colleagues for co-authoring this powerful piece on Rainbow Office Hours ➡️ gla.ac/3Zio6uv

#OneTeamUofG 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍⚧️

New review paper out! Proud to co-author with @optophysakhil.bsky.social and @gailmcconnell.bsky.social a deep dive into Fourier Ptychographic Microscopy (FPM), from physics to cutting-edge algorithms & medical imaging applications. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

A little more than a year that @carmeloferrai.bsky.social and I published our review "Mechanotransduction in stem cells"🤯! I'm happy that it was received well 😃! Stay tuned, more to come in this direction in a not too far future😎.

At the Center of the Cellular Microenvironment’s impact workshop. Really enjoying the space to think together about where cell engineering and mechanobiology are headed. @theglasgowcemi.bsky.social @unistrathclyde.bsky.social

Making progress in mechanobiology (with Prof Viola Vogel) Podcast Episode · The CeMi Podcast · 20/03/2025 · 23m

A chat with Prof. Viola Vogel (Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zürich), whose pioneering work in mechanobiology has been key to show that proteins act as mechano-chemical switches which can be exploited in the treatment of various diseases.

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/m...

Mechanical signatures and models of the bone marrow niche Nature Reviews Bioengineering - The bone marrow is the primary site for haematopoiesis but can also become the origin of haematological malignancies. This Review discusses the complex mechanical...

Happy to share our latest review 'Mechanical signatures and models of the bone marrow niche' in Nature Reviews Bioengineering. Led by Dora Rogkoti. @hannahdonnelly.bsky.social @manuelsalmeron.bsky.social

Read the full review here: rdcu.be/ejGx4

Congratulations to Anna Maria Kapetanaki who passed her PhD viva this week! 🎉 🥳 💓:

Thanks, I'm happy that you like it😊.
Indeed, another critical component is molecular clutch force loading:

bsky.app/profile/cars...

...can involve also other cell adhesion receptors (e.g., GPI-anchored, such as uPAR, or maybe syndecans, DDRs?) 2/2:

Consistently, some years later (2019), Changede et al. (Sheetz group) showed the existence of integrin nanoclusters bridges build up by activated, but unliganded, integrins. The binding to the thin matrix fibres was mediated by integrins in this case, but it's intriguing to think that this 1/2

I delved even deeper into this a few years later, further highlighting the importance of talin-mediated molecular clutch force loading in this process:

👉 www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Figure 7. uPAR/VN signalling requires cell adhesion, ECM rigidity and membrane tension A. uPAR‐induced signalling requires cell attachment. Cells expressing uPART54A were seeded on an anti‐uPAR monoclonal antibody (α‐uPAR) or on VNRAD (with uPA) for 30 min. For ‘off‐plate’ experiments, cells were incubated in suspension with these components. Phosphorylation of p130Cas SD is shown in percentage of the positive control, that is the same cells seeded on VNRAD in the presence of uPA (n ≥ 3, mean ± SEM). Representative blots are shown. B. uPAR‐induced cell spreading requires adhesion to a rigid matrix. Representative images of 293 cells expressing uPART54A plated in presence of uPA on hydrogels coated with VNRAD at different rigidity (soft: 0.7 kPa, Rigid: 40 kPa) for 30 min. Scale bar: 10 μm. C. Effect of plasma membrane relaxation on uPAR or integrin‐induced cell spreading. 293 cells expressing uPART54A were seeded on FN or VNRAD (with uPA) in presence of sucrose (150 mM) or deoxycholate (0.4 mM) for 30 min. Cell‐matrix contact area was quantified. Measurements represent at least 50 cells with indicated geometrical means ± 95% CI, in at least two independent experiments. The grey bars represent the range of cell area of not spread or fully spread uPART54A cells based on 95% CI on poly‐D‐lysine or on VN with uPA, respectively (Fig 2B). D. Increased membrane tension induces integrin‐dependent cell spreading. Cells were seeded on PDL for 30 min in presence or absence of 4B4. Where indicated, an equal volume of hypotonic buffer (H2O with 1 mM MgCl2 and 1.2 mM CaCl2) or isotonic (medium) buffer was added to increase plasma membrane tension. Cell‐matrix contact area was assayed and quantified. Measurements represent at least 50 cells with indicated geometrical means ± 95% CI, in at least two independent experiments. Representative DIC images of cells on PDL treated with isotonic or hypotonic medium are shown. Scale bar: 10 μm.

This ligand binding-independent integrin signalling was driven by membrane tension. Indeed, the induction of this non-canonical integrin signalling was not restricted to uPAR/vitronectin interaction.
This work introduced the cell membrane as a critical component of the molecular clutch.

This study assessed the possibility of ligand-independent adhesion signalling by integrins, which was a quite controversial hypothesis at the time (maybe still is).
We found that e.g. uPAR-mediated adhesion to vitronectin can induce integrin signalling that does not require integrin ligand binding:

Interesting 🧵on a classic mechanotransduction paper of one of our members introducing the concept of ligand binding-independent integrin signalling driven by membrane tension:

The abstract submission deadline of BioMedEng2025 @biomedgen25.bsky.social has been extended. You still have the chance to submit until the 19th of May:

👉 biomedeng.org/biomedeng25/

A peek inside the Witte group (with Lorna, George and Amy) The CeMi Podcast · Episode

I’m one (very) lucky supervisor!

open.spotify.com/episode/43O3...

@theglasgowcemi.bsky.social

In this work my team and co-workers demonstrated a purely mechanically regulated route for #StemCell #Chondrogenesis via engineering of the hydrogels #viscous nature. No #growthfactors needed. Conducted @uofglasgow.bsky.social @theglasgowcemi.bsky.social Funded @ukri.org

Top Viewed Article in Advanced Healthcare Materials in 2023

Great to see that our work on #viscoelastic #hydrogels for #cartilage #TissueEngineering was one of the most-read papers in Advanced Healthcare Materials @mattjwalker.bsky.social @delphe.bsky.social @manlio-tassieri.bsky.social
Check it out here doi.org/10.1002/adhm... 🧪

Head of Department & Professor in Biomedical Engineering - Glasgow City (GB) job with University of Strathclyde | 671921 Head of Department and Professor in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. Great Minds. Innovation Solutions.

Maybe the opportunity of your life, become the Head of the wonderful Department of Biomedical Engineering @unistrathclyde.bsky.social in Glasgow in beautiful 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 :
👉 jobs.sciencecareers.org/job/671921/h...

Maybe the opportunity of your life, become the Head of the wonderful Department of Biomedical Engineering @unistrathclyde.bsky.social in Glasgow 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 :
👉 www.nature.com/naturecareer...

Our colleagues at the Department of Biomedical Engineering of the @unistrathclyde.bsky.social are searching for a new Head of Department:

Our colleagues at the Department of Biomedical Engineering of the @unistrathclyde.bsky.social are searching for a new Head of Department:

Thanks @kimiawitte.bsky.social for organising this special event 😊! Many members of @theglasgowcemi.bsky.social had the pleasure to listen to David Weitz' talk and to discuss cool science with him afterwards.

A very useful review for everyone who wants to learn more about the importance of ECM viscoelasticity in mechanotransduction and (patho)physiology.

Fantastic opportunity in a fantastic emerging group: