Tagged With "Cell mechanobiology"

Earlier this month, the New York Times reported on a boy, Kendric Cromer, 12, who was making the most progress in treating his Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) with gene therapy. The article discusses his 9-month-long journey to curing his SCD. However, I was disappointed the article did not discuss the gene-editing techniques involved in SCD gene therapeutics, or really the biological mechanism behind SCD–both fascinating topics in biology. SCD is caused by a point mutation in the gene that codes...

Foreword: You might not know that, while pursuing biology as my major field of study, I am also a physics enthusiast. Over the past year, I have been exploring cell mechanobiology, the intersection of these two disciplines. I was surprised to find new technologies, new experimental approaches, and new perspectives on biology research taking root in physics principles; furthermore, it moved me that these unconventional practices are showing so much promise to medicine and healthcare. Hence, I...

... continued from Introduction to Cell Mechanobiology (1) . Among the three cytoskeletal filaments, actin filaments assume the most crucial role in shaping the overall mechanics of the cell. They assemble and disassemble rapidly, switching between G-actin (the monomeric form) and F-actin (the polymeric form) flexibly. Therefore, they are apt for reorganization, which drives cell behaviors such as cell spreading. Furthermore, polymerization and depolymerization occur more intensely at one...