Lim Group, Ladoux Group

SAW Thuan Beng

Alumni, Research Associate, Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore

mbistb@nus.edu.sg
Level 9 T-Lab
National University of Singapore
5A Engineering Drive 1
Singapore 117411

How do focal adhesions disassemble?

How do focal adhesions disassemble? Disassembly is critical during cell spreading and forward movement to allow FAs to extend outwards towards the cell periphery [1]. Disassembly of adhesions can take place as a result [...]

By Management|Nov 30th, 2023|Categories: MBInfo, Mechanosignaling|Comments Off on How do focal adhesions disassemble?

How do focal adhesions mature?

How do focal adhesions mature? Adhesions that manage to grow beyond the transient phase further undergo qualitative changes in a phase described as maturation. This transformation of adhesion sites into stress-fiber bound focal adhesions [...]

By Management|Nov 30th, 2023|Categories: MBInfo, Mechanosignaling|Comments Off on How do focal adhesions mature?

What are mature focal adhesions composed of?

What are mature focal adhesions composed of? Mature FAs vary in size between 1 to 5 µm and to date, more than 80 types of proteins (~150 proteins) have been located in the FA [...]

By Management|Nov 30th, 2023|Categories: MBInfo, Mechanosignaling|Comments Off on What are mature focal adhesions composed of?

What is the first step in focal adhesion assembly?

What is the first step in focal adhesion assembly? Focal adhesion formation is initiated upon the binding of adhesion receptors to extracellular matrix (ECM) ligands (e.g. fibronectin, vitronectin, collagen) along the cell periphery usually [...]

By Management|Nov 30th, 2023|Categories: MBInfo, Mechanosignaling|Comments Off on What is the first step in focal adhesion assembly?

What is the role of integrin clustering in focal adhesion assembly?

What is the role of integrin clustering in focal adhesion assembly? There is still much debate over the mechanisms of signal transduction following integrin-ligand binding, however recent studies reveal that irrespective of the global [...]

By Management|Nov 30th, 2023|Categories: MBInfo, Mechanosignaling|Comments Off on What is the role of integrin clustering in focal adhesion assembly?

What is the role of Rho GTPases in the regulation of focal adhesion assembly?

What is the role of Rho GTPases in the regulation of focal adhesion assembly? Synergistic integrin-syndecan signaling The rate and extent of focal adhesion formation and maturation are regulated by factors such as synergistic [...]

By Management|Nov 30th, 2023|Categories: MBInfo, Mechanosignaling|Comments Off on What is the role of Rho GTPases in the regulation of focal adhesion assembly?

Saw Thuan Beng

Alumni, Research Associate

Principal Investigator

CT Lim, Benoit Ladoux

Research Interests

Molecular Mechanisms of Mechanobiology

Recent Publications

  1. Jiang X, Xu P, Feng F, Grenci G, and Saw TB. Revealing Electromechanical Control of Tissue Homeostasis Using a Two-Layer Microfluidic Device. J Vis Exp 2025;(223). [PMID: 41052031]
  2. Wang Y, Wang Y, Zhu Y, Yu P, Zhou F, Zhang A, Gu Y, Jin R, Li J, Zheng F, Yu A, Ye D, Xu Y, Liu Y, Saw TB, Hu G, Lim CT, and Yu F. Angiomotin cleavage promotes leader formation and collective cell migration. Dev Cell 2024;. [PMID: 39389053]
  3. Delanoë-Ayari H, Hiraiwa T, Marcq P, Rieu J, and Saw TB. 2.5D Traction Force Microscopy: Imaging three-dimensional cell forces at interfaces and biological applications. Int J Biochem Cell Biol 2023;:106432. [PMID: 37290687]
  4. . https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36103541
  5. Balasubramaniam L, Doostmohammadi A, Saw TB, Narayana GHNS, Mueller R, Dang T, Thomas M, Gupta S, Sonam S, Yap AS, Toyama Y, Mège R, Yeomans JM, and Ladoux B. Author Correction: Investigating the nature of active forces in tissues reveals how contractile cells can form extensile monolayers. Nat Mater 2021;. [PMID: 33750921]
  6. Balasubramaniam L, Doostmohammadi A, Saw TB, Narayana GHNS, Mueller R, Dang T, Thomas M, Gupta S, Sonam S, Yap AS, Toyama Y, Mège R, Yeomans JM, and Ladoux B. Investigating the nature of active forces in tissues reveals how contractile cells can form extensile monolayers. Nat Mater 2021;. [PMID: 33603188]
  7. Teo JL, Lim CT, Yap AS, and Saw TB. A Biologist's Guide to Traction Force Microscopy Using Polydimethylsiloxane Substrate for Two-Dimensional Cell Cultures. STAR Protoc 2020; 1(2):100098. [PMID: 33111126]
  8. Chen T, Saw TB, Mège R, and Ladoux B. Mechanical forces in cell monolayers. J. Cell. Sci. 2018; 131(24). [PMID: 30573527]
  9. Saw TB, Xi W, Ladoux B, and Lim CT. Biological Tissues as Active Nematic Liquid Crystals. Adv. Mater. Weinheim 2018;:e1802579. [PMID: 30156334]
  10. Saw TB, Doostmohammadi A, Nier V, Kocgozlu L, Thampi S, Toyama Y, Marcq P, Lim CT, Yeomans JM, and Ladoux B. Topological defects in epithelia govern cell death and extrusion. Nature 2017; 544(7649):212-216. [PMID: 28406198]
By Management|2018-01-22T15:53:47+08:00Apr 25th, 2017|Categories: Alumni|Comments Off on Saw Thuan Beng

About the National University of Singapore

About NUSA leading global university centred in Asia, NUS is Singapore's flagship university, offering a global approach to education and research with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise.

About the Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore

About MBIOne of four Research Centres of Excellence at NUS, MBI is working to identify, measure and describe how the forces for motility and morphogenesis are expressed at the molecular, cellular and tissue level.
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