By Cristina D’Imperio
Ioannis Zervantonakis, PhD, McGowan affiliated faculty, has been awarded funding from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences for a study titled, “Macrophage-Fibroblast Communication in Cell Migration and Extracellular Matrix Remodeling.”
According to the project abstract, “a critical knowledge gap exists in understanding the fundamental mechanisms that control intercellular signaling in complex microenvironments.” Dr. Zervantonakis and his team of researchers will address the knowledge gap by first “integrat[ing] intracellular signaling biosensors with a novel microfluidic technology to control paracrine factors and cell-generated forces precisely.” The results of these studies will enable researchers to determine the underlying principles of cell migration. Researchers will then “engineer multi-layer microfluidic devices with integrated imaging-based multiplexed analysis of fibroblast activation and measurement of mechanical forces.”
The team’s integrative approach in studying cell migration and extracellular matrix remodeling (ECM) will utilize bioengineering tools, intracellular signaling reporters, and computational modeling. Ultimately, cell-cell communication “plays a critical role in organ development and healing responses following injury and disease progression.”
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