How cells sense and respond to physical forces
New insights into the molecular regulation of mechanotransduction
['FUNDING_OTHER'] · MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY · NIH-11014647
This research looks at how cells detect and react to mechanical forces to help people with diseases such as cancer, asthma, and heart failure.
Quick facts
| Phase | ['FUNDING_OTHER'] |
|---|---|
| Study type | Nih_funding |
| Sex | All |
| Sponsor | MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (nih funded) |
| Locations | 1 site (CAMBRIDGE, UNITED STATES) |
| Trial ID | NIH-11014647 on ClinicalTrials.gov |
What this research studies
From a patient's perspective, researchers are studying the molecular machines (like integrin receptors and focal adhesions) that let cells feel and respond to physical forces in their environment. They will use laboratory experiments with human cell systems to change components of the actin cytoskeleton and adhesion complexes and observe how those changes alter cell behavior. The team aims to identify how faulty mechanosensing contributes to diseases such as cancer and to point toward molecules that could become future drug or diagnostic targets. This is basic lab research at MIT rather than a treatment you would receive today.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults with cancers (especially solid tumors) who can donate tissue samples or who might join future clinical studies based on these findings would be the most relevant candidates.
Not a fit: People with conditions not linked to cell mechanical signaling, and children (since much of the work focuses on adult human cell systems), are unlikely to get direct benefit from this specific lab research.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could reveal new targets for treatments or diagnostics that prevent or slow diseases driven by abnormal cell mechanics, including some cancers.
How similar studies have performed: Previous laboratory studies have shown that integrins and focal adhesions play key roles in disease biology, but turning those findings into approved therapies remains largely early-stage and unproven.
Where this research is happening
CAMBRIDGE, UNITED STATES
- MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY — CAMBRIDGE, UNITED STATES (ACTIVE)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: CASE, LINDSAY — MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
- Study coordinator: CASE, LINDSAY
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions: Cancers