
DECIPHERing the Role of Cell-Matrix Interactions in Ageing Heart Health
Researchers from the Soft Nano-Biomaterials Lab at MBI developed a material system to enable precise investigation into how individual ECM properties affect cultured heart cells.
Seeking Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the research group of Dr. Tsuyoshi Hirashima at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS
We are seeking to recruit a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the research group of Dr. Tsuyoshi Hirashima at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS.
How Dying Cells Signal Growth: Mechanical Forces Drive Targeted Cell Proliferation after Apoptosis
Researchers from the Toyama Lab at MBI reveal how mechanical factors control apoptosis and cell replacement.
Scientists Develop AI-Driven Tool to Map 3D Cellular Landscapes
Researchers from the Beghin Lab at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS combine DeepStar3D algorithm and 3DCellScope interface to develop an experimental tool for real-time interaction with cell data.
Le Shimin
Principal Investigator
Research Interests
Molecular Mechanisms of Mechanobiology
My current research has been focused on the molecular mechanics of cell mechanotransduction studied at a single-molecule level, which forms the foundation to understand the cell migration, tissue formation and maintenance, and the mechanobiology-associated translational biomedical applications.
- Single-molecule mechanobiology and biophysics at cell-ECM adhesion and cell-cell junctions;
- Single-molecule mechanobiology and biophysics at nuclear-cytoskeletal linkages and cell cytoskeleton;
- Biophysical studies of gene regulations, DNA replication and repairs by various single-DNA manipulation assays.
Recent Publications
- Ball NJ, Turkki P, Guo Y, Tanvir MH, Le S, Chin JFL, Baker KB, Luo J, Atherton P, Brown NH, Hytönen VP, Yan J, and Goult BT. An aggregation-prone region in talin controls talin self-interactions and regulates integrin adhesion complex dynamics. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2026; 123(45):e2602326123. [PMID: 42981030]
- Wang Y, Zhang Y, Yu M, Xiu P, Jia Y, Chen H, Le S, Qian J, and Yan J. Salt-bridge mediated cooperativity and mechanical stabilization of tandem spectrin repeats. Nanoscale Horiz 2025;. [PMID: 40492359]
- Le S, Yu M, Fu C, Heier JA, Martin S, Hardin J, and Yan J. Single-molecule force spectroscopy reveals intra- and intermolecular interactions of Caenorhabditis elegans HMP-1 during mechanotransduction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121(37):e2400654121. [PMID: 39236238]
- Zhang Y, Du J, Liu X, Shang F, Deng Y, Ye J, Wang Y, Yan J, Chen H, Yu M, and Le S. Multi-domain interaction mediated strength-building in human α-actinin dimers unveiled by direct single-molecule quantification. Nat Commun 2024; 15(1):6151. [PMID: 39034324]
- Sun Y, Liu X, Huang W, Le S, and Yan J. Structural domain in the Titin N2B-us region binds to FHL2 in a force-activation dependent manner. Nat Commun 2024; 15(1):4496. [PMID: 38802383]
- Huang W, Liu J, Le S, Yao M, Shi Y, and Yan J. In situ single-molecule investigations of the impacts of biochemical perturbations on conformational intermediates of monomeric α-synuclein. APL Bioeng 2024; 8(1):016114. [PMID: 38435467]
- Zhou Y, Zhao X, Jiang Y, Lin DJ, Lu C, Wang Y, Le S, Li R, and Yan J. A Mechanical Assay for the Quantification of Anti-RBD IgG Levels in Finger-Prick Whole Blood. ACS Sens 2023;. [PMID: 37582229]
- Liu J, Le S, Yao M, Huang W, Tio Z, Zhou Y, and Yan J. Tension Gauge Tethers as Tension Threshold and Duration Sensors. ACS Sens 2023;. [PMID: 36731861]
- Huang W, Le S, Sun Y, Lin DJ, Yao M, Shi Y, and Yan J. Mechanical Stabilization of a Bacterial Adhesion Complex. J Am Chem Soc 2022;. [PMID: 36070862]
- Wang Y, Yao M, Baker KB, Gough RE, Le S, Goult BT, and Yan J. Force-Dependent Interactions between Talin and Full-Length Vinculin. J Am Chem Soc 2021;. [PMID: 34463480]

