Recent Featured Research
Confined Migration Shapes the Bony Fate of Stem Cells
Researchers from the Holle Lab at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS discover that migration through confined spaces causes lasting nuclear changes in stem cells, biasing them toward bone formation.
Disrupted Cell-Matrix Interactions Drives Aging and Reveals New Paths for Skin Regeneration
Researchers from the Li Lab discover how α5-integrin–FN interactions preserve dermal integrity, offering new insights for antiaging strategies targeting ECM organization and fibroblast function.
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.
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.
The Nano-Heartbuilder: BNIP-2 Influences Mechanosensing in Cardiomyoblast Differentiation
Researchers from the Low Lab at MBI discover a crucial role for the scaffold protein BNIP-2 in orchestrating focal adhesion dynamics during early heart development, offering new insights into heart regeneration strategies.
MBInsights Annual
MBInsights: Decoding the Living Machine
An annual summary of research at the Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore
The annual is a synopsis showing the breadth of the research coming from the MBI. We are very proud of the fact that we have been able to build an institute with state-of-the-art capabilities in super-resolution microscopy and microfabrication. Our open lab environment and the energy of our students and postdocs have combined to take advantage of our experimental tools to answer important biological questions. Because we believe that these tools should be utilized to solve many more problems in the biomedical sciences, we invite you and your colleagues to join us in collaborative studies to solve those problems. Many different disciplines are needed since the problems need the tools of physicists, biologists, computational scientists, and engineers, working side-by-side to better understand how biological systems integrate mechanical cues and physical forces from the world around them.
Read more about MBInsights Annual 2017
See all editions of MBInsights Annual
Hew Choy Leong receives Alumni Award for Academic Achievement
Emeritus Professor Hew Choy Leong, Senior Advisor to MBI, is honoured with an Outstanding Alumni Award for Academic Achievement.
MBI Researchers Identify a Signalling Pathway in Stiff Ovarian Tissue Affecting Egg Maturation
A joint study between the Li and Young Labs at MBI, together with A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, pinpoints the molecular switch responsible for matrix stiffness in ageing ovaries, offering an alternative way to treat age-related infertility without having to reverse stiffness.
Takumi Kawaue
Visiting Research Fellow, Toyama Group
MBI Publications
Latest Publications
- Lu Y, Walji T, Ravaux B, Pandey P, Yang C, Li B, Luvsanjav D, Lam KH, Zhang R, Luo Z, Zhou C, Habela CW, Snapper SB, Li R, Goldhamer DJ, Schmidtke DW, Pan D, Svitkina TM, and Chen EH. Author Correction: Spatiotemporal coordination of actin regulators generates invasive protrusions in cell-cell fusion. Nat Cell Biol 2026;. [PMID: 42957784]
- Qiao Z, Chen S, Liu S, Madden LE, Fan S, Liang L, Nai MH, Lin B, Wu Z, Li Z, Becker DL, Wu C, and Lim CT. A strain-insensitive multiplexed soft microneedle patch for robust interstitial fluid biomarker monitoring. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2026; 123(44):e2611528123. [PMID: 42949962]
- Sebellin J, Kandiyoth FB, Bagyashree VT, Picco A, Carvalho N, Hakala M, Rivier-Cordey A, Michelot A, Toret CP, and Kaksonen M. Evolutionarily diverged on-switch for actin assembly in fungal endocytosis. J Cell Biol 2026; 226(1). [PMID: 42949641]
- Ge Z, Gao Y, Junyuan EC, Le TD, Liang L, Zhang Y, and Lim CT. Minimally Invasive In Vivo Fabrication of Multiscale Biohybrid Systems. Adv Mater 2026;:e75421. [PMID: 42904490]
- Luo Q, Zhou Y, Yan J, and You H. Using Magnetic Tweezers to Unravel the Mechanism of the G-Quadruplex Binding and Unwinding Activities of DHX36 Helicase. Methods Mol Biol 2027; 3081:399-417. [PMID: 42862240]
- Ong HT, Saunders DC, Eastwood C, Puig-Barbe A, Kochersberger A, Galligos A, Marshall B, Johnson BK, Kratka CE, Jin C, Betancur D, Guimarães GR, Machlin JH, Isola JVV, Adam KM, Morales-Casanova O, Djirackor S, Schissel T, Lorenzi V, Wang X, Shen X, Soygur B, Aevermann B, Gaylord EA, Foecke MH, Tavares NK, Samuel RM, Szady S, Mahalingam S, Biswas S, Liao W, Benayoun BA, Chung H, Winuthayanon W, Li JZ, Molè MA, Angelo M, Jeudin P, Drapkin R, Shikanov A, Laird DJ, Duncan F, Shen H, Garrison JL, Boroni M, Stout MB, Vento-Tormo R, George SHL, Suh Y, Young JL, and Laronda MM. Standardizing Cell Ontology terms for cross-study integration in the female reproductive tract. Sci Adv 2026; 12(41):eaef2358. [PMID: 42853913]
- Pang B, Yang G, Cheng Q, Zhou S, Wang Z, Xuan W, Qiu Y, Gong H, Bu T, Xie B, Fu P, Yin Z, Lim CT, Wu C, Jiang X, and Wu H. A soft bioelectronic system with a responsive hydrogel neural interface for direct force quantification and real-time intraoperative craniocerebral injury monitoring. Nat Biomed Eng 2026;. [PMID: 42844331]
- Lim YB, Kabigting JET, Cheam MS, Toyama Y, and Holle AW. A confining microfluidic platform for disparate density coculture reveals the dynamics of macrophage-mediated adipocyte clearance. Lab Chip 2026;. [PMID: 42841853]
- Ge Z, Li X, Gao B, Lim CT, and Ren Y. Modular Bio-Integrated Materials and Devices for Advanced Theranostic Healthcare. Adv Mater 2026;:e75230. [PMID: 42828754]
- Li H, Xu X, Guan Z, Zheng Q, Wen Y, Zeng D, Huang H, Qin Y, Yin M, Li G, Qin H, Zhu Y, Kim J, Mao L, Sandor C, Thalmann NM, Car J, Lim CT, Fregni F, Ortega FB, Little JP, Dempsey PC, Jia W, Sheng B, and Li H. Augmented reality-assisted Tai Chi for adults with diabetes-associated cognitive impairment: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open 2026; 16(9):e120433. [PMID: 42816087]
A Cell Never Forgets: How Prior Environments Affect Confined Cell Migration
Researchers from the Holle Lab at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS discover that cells retain mechanical memory that influences subsequent migration despite environmental changes, suggesting broader implications for understanding wound healing, fibrosis and cancer metastasis.
How Structural Imbalance Drives Inflammatory Signaling in Senescent Cells
In a study published in Molecular Biology of the Cell led by Celestine Ho at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS, researchers discover that HIF-1α-activation in SASP is a defining feature of the SASP induced by diverse stressors, acting independently of micronuclei generation and cGAS/STING activation.
Violet vs. Blue: Controlling Mechanotransduction with a Single-protein Light Switch
In a study published in the Journal of Cell Science, led by Ryosuke Nishimura at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS, researchers developed an optogenetic tool to precisely manipulate talin’s structure and observe the resulting cellular behavior.
The Pressure That Shapes Life: Mechanical Forces Behind Egg Maturation
Researchers from the Chan Lab at MBI demonstrate the importance of compressive stress exhibited by theca cells in healthy follicle maturation and surrounding support cells, suggesting a new perspective in understanding infertility.
Quantitative Micro-Elastography: New Imaging Tool Uncovers Age-Dependent Mechanical Changes in Ovarian Tissue
Researchers from the Chan Lab at MBI develop a a novel method called quantitative micro-elastography to create detailed 3D maps of ovarian stiffness in mice—revealing crucial insights that could lead to new infertility treatments.
Contributions
MBInsights is created and curated by the MBI Science Communications Unit. The Science Communications Unit works towards enhancing awareness of progress made in the field of mechanobiology to the general public, science enthusiasts, young students and scientists working in alternative fields. This is achieved by promoting the latest findings in our own research, and in the field in general, through the media, the production of online educational resources, and outreach events.
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