Mechanobiology in Development and Disease

Environmental mechanics impact the behaviour of cells, which in turn modify their surroundings. These bi-directional cell-tissue interactions have important consequences for gene expression, cell fate and function and give rise to transient and permanent tissue modifications. These processes are key for immunity and homeostasis, but also play a role in pathological processes as they are critical for fibrosis, inflammation and cancer metastasis.This symposium will focus on the interplay of cells with their environment and will bring together clinicians, cell biologists and material scientists interested in mechanobiology at the molecular, cellular and tissue level to approach its role in human physiology and pathology from different perspectives and scales. We will specifically discuss new technological approaches from the field of material sciences that enable the study of mechanobiology in vivo and in vitro, keeping in mind their potential use in a more applied context.