Abstract. The role of extracellular matrix (ECM) mechanics in cell fate choice and regeneration has been largely overlooked; however, ECM mechanics plays a significant role in building and maintaining tissue. My lab is investigating the interplay between mechanics and signaling in cell fate transitions in stem cells, and is beginning to apply some of what we have learned to whole tissue. I will show how cell surface mechanics in particular impacts cell signalling that is instructive for cell fate choice, both in stem cells and development. I will also present an outlook suggesting how the interplay between mechanics and signaling has significant impact on regeneration, and what tools and concepts will be important for investigating that interplay.

Biography: Kevin Chalut is a physical biologist with a PhD in Physics from Duke University. He was a group leader at the Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute at the University of Cambridge for 10 years, and now leads a lab at Altos Labs. His lab has worked to understand how the mechanical environment and mechanical properties of cells affects stem cell fate choices across the lifespan, and how the mechanical environment can lead to loss of function in stem cells.

His work focuses on using the tools and concepts of physics to study cell fate choice and regeneration both in cells and tissues. His lab primarily investigates how external and internal mechanical inputs regulate fate decisions, and exactly how cells process information during that fate choice. The ultimate goal of his laboratory is to apply their physics-based techniques to understand how organisms develop and maintain tissues, and how to use stem cells for therapeutic use in extending healthy lifespan. Our primary objective is to bring together physics, engineering and biology to better understand cell fate choices, and how to control stem cells to enhance tissue function.