Mechanobiology Lab
Welcome to Han Lab!
We study mechanobiology, particularly on how adherent cells can sense and respond to mechanical stiffness of the extracellular matrix. To investigate this, we have established experimental and computational frameworks for force measurement and adhesion dynamics quantification. We apply these frameworks, with cutting edge computer vision technique, on live-cell microscope images to find out fundamental mechanism underlying mechanosensation in the normal cells and the biomechanical signature in the diseased cells whose signaling has gone awry.
News:
Jan 15, 2024: Nik's paper regarding myosin-independent ECM stiffness sensing has been published in Communications Materials, a Nature Portfolio Journal. Congrats!
Dec 17, 2023: Dr. Han was awarded with Wallace Research Foundation grant for the study of collagen type V's role in wound healing in vivo and in vitro.
March 3, 2023: Dr. Han was awarded with NIH R15 grant for linking mechanotransmission to mechanosignaling.
Dec 22, 2022: Dr. Han was awarded with Wallace Research Foundation grant for the study of collagen type V's role in mechanotransduction.
June 22, 2022: Sam and Sue's algorithm that rescues tracking of a large, local deformation happening in TFM has been published in PLOS One! Check it out.
April 25, 2022: Shaina's minireview paper about mechanobiology in Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome has been published in Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. Check it out!
April 7, 2022: Kathleen received Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar award. Congrats!
April 1, 2022: Mohanish was awarded 3rd place in GRC poster competition. Congrats!
December 6, 2021: Dr. Han was awarded with MTU's Research Excellence Fund! We appreciate HRI and ICC's support as well as ones by the BME department and the College of Engineering.
October 2021: Dr. Han attended BMES and chaired in a session called 'Cancer Systems Biology'. Mohanish also served in the MTU booth. Got inspired by many mechanobiology works.
September 2021: Nikhil's paper on the TFM protocol has been published in Current Protocols! Check this out.