Mechanomics: Decoding Cellular States by Shape, Motion, and Stress

Name: Mechanomics: Decoding Cellular States by Shape, Motion, and Stress
Start: 2026-04-09T15:00:00-04:00
End: 2026-04-09T16:00:00-04:00
Location: Croft Hall, G40

Schedule

Thu Apr 09 2026 at 03:00 pm to 04:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

Croft Hall, G40 | Huntington, NY

All are welcome to attend this seminar with Jennifer Hyunjong Shin, PhD, endowed chair and professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology (KAIST).
Cells are constantly shaped not only by molecular programs but also by the physical environments they inhabit. Mechanics influences cell fate, collective organization, and disease progression, motivating the emerging framework of mechanomics, a systems-level framework for mapping and interpreting relationships between microenvironmental cues, mechanically encoded traits, and cellular states.
In this talk, Shin will discuss how cell states can be understood through three physically interpretable dimensions: shape, motion, and stress. Moving beyond static molecular endpoints, Shin seeks to capture dynamic cellular adaptation through measurable changes in morphology, migratory behavior, and force-related readouts. Shin will first introduce this framework in epithelial monolayers, where collective behaviors such as jamming transitions can be resolved through integrated analysis of cell shape, movement, and stress distribution. She will then present fibroblasts as a model of mechanical adaptation and heterogeneity, showing how extracellular matrix density, stiffness, and spatial gradients reshape stromal states and functions. Through studies of fibroblasts and cancer-associated fibroblasts, this work aims to establish a quantitative framework for mechano-phenotyping within mechanomics, providing new insight into dynamic cellular adaptation across development, fibrosis, aging, and cancer.
Zoom Information
Meeting ID: 955 8366 7779