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Welcome to the Laboratory of Applied Mechanobiology!

Our research groups have pioneered the rapidly growing field of Molecular Mechanobiology and are now advancing novel mechano-concepts towards the clinic. The cancer and fibrotic research has taken a cell-centric view in the last decades, mostly ignoring the reciprocal crosstalk of cells with their diseased extracellular matrix (ECM) or the physical aspects of their environment. It is as wanting to describe the behavior of a spider, while neglecting the presence of the spider net. The crosstalk between cells and their extracellular matrix, for example, profoundly steers cell functions and there is an urgent need to understand it. By using computational and experimental technologies, as well as advanced super-resolution imaging, our group discovered many structural mechanisms how mechanical forces can turn proteins into mechano-chemical switches. Our major goal now is to convert our newly discovered mechano-regulated mechanisms into clinically relevant products.

For selected reviews, click here.
For selected presentations, here.

Fresh off the Press

Nano_organelles_konstantin_wolf

22.05.2024

Congratulations to Konstantin and Viviana for their publication in PNAS: Tweaking the NRF2 signaling cascade in human myelogenous leukemia cells by artificial nano-organelles.

external page Read more!

S_Tm-infected_cecum_Ronja_Rappold

15.03.2024

Congratulations to Ronja for her publication in The FEBS Journal: Salmonella-driven intestinal edema in mice is characterized by tensed fibronectin fibers.

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bone_healing_upon_different_fracture_fixation_stabilities_julia_mehl

25.01.2024

Congratulations to Julia for her publication in Advanced Science: External Mechanical Stability Regulates Hematoma Vascularization in Bone Healing Rather than Endothelial YAP/TAZ Mechanotransduction.

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mechanically_induced_affinity_reduction_of_tg2_to_fibronectin_kateryna_selcuk

20.12.2023

Congratulations to Kateryna for her publication in Matrix Biology: Transglutaminase 2 has higher affinity for relaxed than for stretched fibronectin fibers.

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Juno_izumo_paulina

20.11.2023

Congratulations to Paulina, Carleen and Viola for their publication in Scientific Reports: Molecular dynamics of JUNO‐IZUMO1 complexation suggests biologically relevant mechanisms in fertilization.

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Dilara Perver Dr. stem cell bone marrow hematopoietic mesencyhmal

02.08.2023

Congratulations to Dilara and co-authors for their publication in Nature International Journal of Oral Science: Extracellular matrix remodelling in dental pulp tissue of carious human teeth through the prism of single-cell RNA sequencing.

The present data demonstrate molecular, cellular and biomechanical alterations in the pulp of human carious teeth, indicative of extensive ECM remodelling, reminiscent of fibrosis observed in other organs. external page Read more

How tumors transform blood vessels: It becomes clear that the tension of extracellular matrix fibers plays a key and previously unknown role in tumour development.

Enlarged view: How tumors transform blood cells
Tissue section of a mouse breast tumour: matrix channels (green) are segmenting the tumour tissue (blue) and form niches for immune cells (red), which can thus no longer reach and kill the tumour cells.

We show that the fibres within the tumour tracks are capable of trapping immune cells. While this happens, the immune cells stretch out along the channels and stick to the loose fibronectin fibres. In this elongated form, the immune cells switch from fighting diseases to supporting healing processes. Instead of attacking the tumour cells, they excrete molecules that stimulate growth, thus helping the cancer cells to multiply.

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charlotte

Congratulations to Charlotte for her publication in Matrix Biology: Infiltrating CD8+ T cells and M2 macrophages are retained in tumor matrix tracks enriched in low tension fibronectin fibers

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andreia_paper

Congratulations to Andreia and Arnaud for their Publication in Advanced Science!

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cameron

14.04.2022

Congratulations to Cameron for his publication in Stem Cell Research!

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sebi

11.03.2022

Congratulations to Sebastian, Kateryna and Johanna for their publication in Science Advances! 

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johanna

22.02.2022

Congratulations to Johanna and Nikhil for their publication: "Blockage of Lamin-A/C loss diminishes the pro-inflammatory macrophage response"

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microvilli

01.10.2021
Congratulations to Enrico, Morteza, Diana, Tamara, Margherita, Sebastian and Viola for their new publication in PNAS! "Nanoconfinement of microvilli alters gene expression and boosts T cell activation"

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ACSNAno

29.06.2021

Congratulations to Sebastian and Viola for their new publication in ACS Nano!

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PublicationEnrico

24.02.2021

Congratulations to Diana and Enrico for their new publication in Acta Biomaterilia!

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19.01.2021

Congratulations to Morteza and Enrico for their new publication in Nano Letters!

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17.07.2020

Congratulations to Charlotte for her new publication in Matrix Biology Plus!

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01.05.2020

Congratulation to Jenna  for her Biomaterials Science Outstanding Student Paper Award!

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Lukas_publication

24.03.2020

Congratulations to Lukas for his publication in Biophysical Journal!           external page Read more

 

advanced_science_cover_vahid

24.06.2020

Big congratulations to Vahid for his publication and the cover feature in Advanced Science!


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macrophage review

01.06.2019 

Congratulations to Jens and Nikhil for their publication in Annual Review of Biomedical Engineeringexternal page Read more

 

ttg review

25.06.2019 

Congratulations to Mario, Enrico and Simon for their publication in Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineering.

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To see a full list of publications from our Lab click here.

Our research at a glance

News and Events

Ronja_Rappold_The_FEBS_Journal

22.07.2024

Big congratulations to Ronja and co-authors for the cover feature in The FEBS Journal!

Ronja's latest scientific publication is now in print at The FEBS Journal, and we are thrilled to share that one of the microscopy images has been featured on the cover! 🧬🔬 Immense gratitude to everyone who supported this research journey. external page Check it out! 📖✨

nano_organlles_konstantin_wolf
Nano-organelle assisted protection of cells from harmful ROS. The nanocontainer (blue) contains enzymes, such as lactoper- oxidase (LPO), that can degrade ROS.

Konstantin and Vivianas paper on artificial organelles has been showcased on Kudos!

ROS (reactive oxygen species) are damaging molecules produced in cells, e.g. from imperfect metabolism in mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cell. The interdisciplinary study shows that artificial organelles, designed to act like sponges, can be swallowed by cells to absorb and neutralize ROS. These internalized organelles then protect cells by reducing ROS levels, even when the cells' natural defenses are weakened. external page Click here to learn on kudos why this is relevant and external page here to find the full paper!

juno_izumo_zinc_changes_protein_conformation
After fertilisation, the egg cell (purple) releases zinc ions (blue dots), which changes the shape of the green protein on the surface of a sperm. As a result, the sperm can no longer dock to the egg cell. (Visualisation: Paulina Pacak, ETH Zurich)

02.02.2024

Have you ever wondered how fertilization works on molecular scale? Our group shed light on this question using latest molecular dynamics simulations executed on "Piz Daint", a supercomputer of the Swiss National Supercomputing Centre (CSCS), to visualise the fertilisation dynamics of a human egg cell. The results point to new directions of infertility treatment or developing drug-​based contraceptive methods. Find out more in the official press release!

Viola Vogel

28.11.2023

Great honor for Prof. Dr. Viola Vogel!

Viola has been elected as a Fellow of the British Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE). On September 19, 2023, the RAE elected 73 engineering and technology leaders to its Fellowship, including Viola, one of 8 international Fellows recognized for their exceptional contributions. Fellows will contribute their unique abilities to fulfill the Academy's strategic mission of utilizing engineering to build a sustainable society and an inclusive economy for everyone. Congratulations Viola!

Dilara Perver stem cell bone marrow
Dr. Dilara Perver's image, 'Hematopoietic Stem Cell on the Extracellular Matrix,' has been selected as the official symposium poster.

Prof. Dr. Viola Vogel will give a talk at the 2023 International Institute for Nanotechnology Symposium, 'Addressing the Global Challenges Through Nanotechnology,' on November 2nd. Students, researchers, and others interested in the latest advances in nanotechnology can click external page here to check the lineup and registration information.

 

Dilara Perver Paulina Pacak

Dr. Dilara Perver and Dr. Paulina Pacak will deliever speed preseantations at the 6th Reseach Day of D-HEST on the 7th of September at 9:00-9:30. After the presentations, we invite you to visit our poster presentations located on the G floor of the new GLC building. Discover the diverse scientific topics that our lab specializes in, and engage in discussions with our researchers to gain deeper insights into our work!

KSB
ETH Zurich and Kantonsspital Baden want to jointly expand clinical research. (Image: ETH Zurich / Alessandro Della Bella)

05.07.2023

You would like to learn how our collaboration with Kantonsspital Baden (KSB) contributes to bridge basic and clinicial research in the fight against breast cancer? Click here!
 

platellet

17.04.2023

A lay-summary in the open-access journal “The Science Breaker” explains to a broader community the unknown role of platelets in orchestrating the initial tissue repair.

Find out more external page here

mario-cover-sci-adv

Big congratulations to Mario and co-authors for the publication and the cover feature in Science Advances!

To find out "How the mechanobiology orchestrates the iterative and reciprocal ECM-cell cross-talk that drives microtissue growth", external page read more.

Georg Duda

Seminar by Prof. Dr. Georg Duda on "Engineering Immuno-Mechanics to Enable Regeneration" on the 4th April, 2023 at 12:00-13:00 

Interested colleagues and students are invited to the upcoming seminar of Univ.-Prof. Dr.-Ing. Georg N. Duda from Julius Wolff Institute and Berlin Institute of Health Center for Regenerative Therapies (BCRT) at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin.

Onsite: HCI J 6 (ETH Hönggerberg)
Virtual: external page https://ethz.zoom.us/j/67961879358

 

Tandem

Congratulations to Tandem Therapeutics and its co-founders, Dr. Mamta Chabria, Prof. Dr. Viola Vogeand Dr. Martin Behe! The biotech startup was awarded CHF 150,000 by the Venture Kick jury to develop its novel solution for treating fibrotic cancers and fibrosis. Tandem Therapeutics' precision targeting technology of the extracellular matrix has great potential for the future of medical treatment. We wish Tandem Therapeutics success in expanding its team and accelerating its business development activities.

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TTG

Congratulations to Kateryna for receiving the best poster award at Biointerfaces International Zurich 2022 Conference with her poster titled: "Tissue transglutaminase 2 has higher binding affinity for relaxed than to stretched fibronectin fibers"

 

poster_nanoneuro_2022

Neuro Technology Center Columbia University: NTC/DIPC Symposium: NanoNeuro 2022

Recording of the Symposium is available: external page here

 

CABMM

Our lab will give a lecture series entitled "Mechanobiology in Health and Disease" for the 1st mini-series of the CABMM Scientific Seminar in the upcoming spring semester. 

The mini-series will be opened by Prof. Dr. Viola Vogel's presentation:
"Introduction and case studies: mechanisms how forces regulate the functions of molecules, cells and tissues”.

Date: Friday, February 25, 2022
Time: 12:00
Join Zoom Meeting https://uzh.zoom.us/j/63587505684?pwd=bzBsRUNrRW56L2ROK3JBZkUxMU84UT09
Meeting ID 635 8750 5684
Passcode 964609

Enlarged view: Konsti_prize

07.12.2021
Big congratulations to Konstantin Wolf
for being awarded The Willi Studer Prize 2020 for the best student in his master in Biotechnology at the Department of of Biosystems Science and Engineering (D-BSSE) at ETH!

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Mark your agenda

It is with great pleasure we invite you to the upcoming seminar "Mimicking physiological and pathological situations in 3D biopolymer-based matrices in vitro" by Prof. Tilo Pompe from the Institute of Biochemistry, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany on Tuesday, 7 December 2021 at 2.00 PM. The talk will follow with a lively discussion!

Join us: external page https://ethz.zoom.us/j/67081422886

Read more about Prof. Tilo Pompe research external page here.

VV talk

Mark your agenda for 22.10.2021

Prof. Viola Vogel will give an online talk for Bilkent University & Embassy of Switzerland in Turkey's common seminar series on Mechanical Engineering.  

Zoom Meeting ID: 639 390 7770. Passcode: 620279

Click external page here to join the meeting!


Symposium

06.10.2021
Mark your agenda for Prof. Viola Vogel's talk on 19.10.2021 “Molecular Mechanobiology of the extracellular matrix: From healthy tissues to cancer" at the QBIO/CANCER JOINT SYMPOSIUM at 14:30-15:10, online.

Click external page here for the free registration for the afternoon online event before Monday October 11, 2021.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation containing information about joining the symposium online. For more information, please contact the organiser: or

Scientifica Talk

01.09.2021 Mark your agenda for Scientifica 2021: Laboratory of Applied Mechanobiology contributes to Scientifica by Dr. Dilara Perver's public lecture about Bioengineering.

The talk will be held on 5 September at 13:oo-13:45 in ETH Hönggerberg Campus at HPH G3 in English and be suitable from 12 years old.

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Viola's talk

10.06.2021

Mark your agenda for 16.06.2021: "Mechanoregulation of Cell Niches in Health and Disease"

Prof. Viola Vogel will give a talk for the iHealthtech “Innovating Health” Distinguished Speaker Webinar Series on 16th June 2021, Wednesday, 3:00 - 4:00 pm, Singapore time (9:00 - 10:00 am, Zürich time) on Zoom.

cover_enrico

04.06.2021

Big congratulations to Enrico for his publication and the cover feature in Journal of Proteome Research!

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BRCCH

17.05.2021
Ronja’s microscopy image featured in the Annual Report of the Botnar Research Center for Child Health. Congrats!

The image highlights extracellular matrix in a cross-section through a lymphatic structure in the mouse cecum. It is part of the research project “Precision Microbiota Engineering for Child Health”. The Multi-Investigator project is working towards new treatment options for two serious diseases in newborns, inborn errors of metabolism and neonatal sepsis, which currently have high mortality rates and long-term consequences for the children’s development.

Read more about this project and other amazing research funded by the Botnar Research Center for Child Health in the external page Annual Report 2020  

Vogel

28.04.2021
Huge congratulations to Viola who together with two other ETH professors Nenad Ban and Ursula Keller was elected an international member of NAS, National Academy of Science, US!


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Interview with the Einstein Foundation

22.04.2021
#AskDifferent The Einstein Foundation's interview with Viola  

In the podcast, Viola shares her joy in research, as well as also her experience in the dialogue between science and politics and her criticism of hierarchies that slow down innovation.

To listen the podcast in German, external page visit here

 

03.11.2020

Interview with Elise Aeby for the Initiative helpfulETH.

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Supporting healthcare with helpfulETH

15.10.2020

Big congratulations to Viola for being awarded the CLINAM Dwarf Award!

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CLINAM Dwarf Award
Interview

09.2020

From Zurich to Berlin, by bike if need be – research cooperation amidst a pandemic

 

Charité Foundation's interview with Viola and Prof. Dr. Georg Duda 

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01.09.2020

Big congratulations to Nikhil for being awarded the SNF SPARK Grant!

It is aimed towards testing whether changes in the biophysical properties of the cell nucleus can be established as biophysical diagnostic markers for the early and efficient diagnosis of the activation of human monocytes during sepsis.

04.04.2020

Interview with Viola (in German) by external page Gesundheitheute

There is a lot of research going on, in order to get the corona virus under control. Prof. Vogel is engaging herself with the selfcleaning mechanisms of the raspiratory system and is explaining - understandable for everyone - what we can do. 

 

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Positiv bleiben und durchhalten - 00:25 – Interview mit Frau Prof. Viola Vogel 06:33 – Interview mit Martin Suter 11:40 – Interview mit Prof. Cornel Fraefel 16:52 – Interview mit Peter Reber
podcast

31.03.2020

ETH Podcast: How can we use the fragile shell of the corona virus and our self-cleaning mechanisms of the respiratory tract for self-protection? by Viola  Listen here

 

Viola

29.03.2020

How to Further Reduce the Risk of Serious COVID-19 Infections: Exploiting the Fragile Viral Envelope and the Self-Cleaning Mechanisms of Our Respiratory System by Viola  

The journey of a (corona)virus from your mouth into the lungs: Can we exploit that knowledge to reduce the risk of an infection?  external page Read more

 

coronovirus

13. 03. 2020

Reducing the risk of infection by Viola  

Biology shows us that there are additional ways to reduce the risk of serious coronavirus infections, in addition to hand hygiene and keeping distance, Viola Vogel wrote at Zukunftsblog. Read more

 

Viola NAE

06.02.2020

Congratulations to Viola for being elected as an international member of NAE, National Academy of Engineering, US!

Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to "engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature" and to "the pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education." 

 

For older news from our Lab click here.

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