Welcome to MBInfo

MBInfo was setup in as a wiki-style repository of mechanobiology provided by the Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore. The aim of MBInfo was to inform and educate the wider scientific community about mechanobiology and how physics and mechanics impact biological processes. 

The content on www.mechanobio.info has been archived here. 

At the heart of mechanobiology is the relationship between a cell and its environment. Cells sense and respond to the physical properties of their environment and this is dependent on dynamic subcellular systems that can generate and transduce mechanical force. Downstream integration of these signals into biochemical and genomic pathways cause observable and measurable effects on cell life.

The cytoskeleton, in particular, acts as a load-bearing network in cells and has a major role in transducing mechanical signals throughout cells. Not only does it act as a bridge between the extracellular environment and the cell interior, but it can transduce signals in a fast and efficient manner due to the multitude of signaling molecules that bind to the cytoskeleton and are activated by mechanical stimuli. By compartmentalizing its subcellular functions, the cell is able to function efficiently, in larger multi-cellular tissue environments.

In the pages listed below we explore the fundamental cellular and molecular processes relevant to the field of Mechanobiology.