The University of Glasgow
Centre for the
Cellular Microenvironment
Dr. Rebecca Ginesi shares her development of advanced techniques to characterise printed supramolecular hydrogels, uncovering how the 3D printing process impacts their microstructure and mechanical behaviour. Printable hydrogels are gaining interest in a wide variety of fields, from precision medicine to optoelectronics. One challenge in 3D printing is characterising these hydrogels post-printing. Furthermore, most reported …
On the 11th March, the Parliamentary & Scientific Committee hosted STEM for Britain 2025 in Portcullis House, at the Houses of Parliament. STEM for Britain gives Early Career Researchers (ECRs) an opportunity to present and discuss their ground-breaking research to Members of both Houses of Parliament at Westminster, and stimulates conversation and engagement both within …
Dr Olivia Johnson-Love introduces the novel method of vibration-based cell engineering in order to alter the fate of stem cells. Cells are highly responsive to mechanical cues in their microenvironment, modulating their behaviour through proliferation, differentiation, or morphological adaptation. This mechanosensitivity has been widely studied for directing stem cell differentiation and offers promising avenues for …
Dr Udesh Dhawan introduces some of his recent research on how integrins can be utilised in growth factor activation and the development of a mechanobiology-based bone regeneration platform. Integrins are specialised adhesion proteins that enable cells to attach and survive. Take away integrins, and we take away the ability of cells that rely on adhesion …
In this series of blogs we hear from students recently returned from academic placements about their experiences. Ioanna Rigou is a third-year PhD student under the supervision of Prof Matt Dalby. Hi, I’m Ioanna, a third-year PhD student at the University of Glasgow, and in September 2024, I embarked on an incredible journey with Bio-Tune. …
In this piece, Dr Matthew Walker summarises the importance of two recently published reviews on the topic of mechanobiology in both cancer and fibrosis, both of which can be accessed here: Walker M, Morton JP. Hydrogel models of pancreatic adenocarcinoma to study cell mechanosensing. Biophysical Reviews. 2024;16(6):851-70. (doi: 10.1007/s12551-024-01265-8) Walker M, Gourdon D, Cantini M. …