Mechanotransduction in Disease: Creating Mouse Models to Study Mechanical Signals
Official title: Development of Mouse Models to Study the Role of Mechanotransduction in Disease Pathogenesis
Funded at Lankenau Institute for Medical Research · NIH-11520491 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new mouse model project aims to understand how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces and how disruptions can contribute to diseases like heart disease, asthma, and cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R21 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Lankenau Institute for Medical Research NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Wynnewood, United States) |
| Project start | September 1, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $355,804 |
| NIH project number | 7R21OD037863-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11520491 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are researchers and clinicians who study diseases linked to mechanotransduction and use animal models to test hypotheses.
✕Less likely to help
Patients would not directly participate in this preclinical mouse study.
What this research studies
This project will create specialized mouse strains with targeted changes in vinculin, a protein involved in how cells feel and respond to mechanical stress. By introducing specific mutations, researchers will study how altered mechanical signaling affects tissue behavior and disease processes. The goal is to provide researchers with reliable models to explore how mechanotransduction influences conditions across multiple organs, potentially identifying new therapeutic targets. The work includes validating that these mice accurately reflect the intended mechanosignaling defects. This could pave the way for future studies exploring mechanical therapies in human diseases.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, these mouse models could accelerate discovery of therapies that correct faulty mechanical signaling in diseases.
How similar studies have gone: Similar mechanotransduction models have helped reveal how cellular forces contribute to disease, supporting the potential usefulness of this approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
Wynnewood, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Radice, Glenn Lawrence — Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
- Study coordinator: Radice, Glenn Lawrence
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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.