A. N. Malmi-Kakkada

Contact area and tissue growth dynamics shape synthetic juxtacrine signaling patterns

The paper investigates how cell-cell contact area and tissue growth dynamics influence synthetic juxtacrine signaling patterns using a custom gene circuit in Drosophila wing imaginal discs and mathematical modeling.

Microtubule deacetylation reduces cell stiffness to allow the onset of collective cell migration in vivo

The paper shows that microtubule deacetylation reduces cell stiffness, enabling collective cell migration in vivo by adapting to substrate stiffness changes.

Mechanical heterogeneity along single cell-cell junctions is driven by lateral clustering of cadherins during vertebrate axis elongation

The paper shows that mechanical heterogeneity along cell-cell junctions during vertebrate axis elongation is driven by cadherin clustering and Planar Cell Polarity signaling.

Dual Role of Cell-Cell Adhesion In Tumor Suppression and Proliferation Due to Collective Mechanosensing

The paper shows that cell-cell adhesion strength influences tumor growth rates through a pressure-adhesion feedback loop, with an optimal adhesion level maximizing proliferation.

Cell growth rate dictates the onset of glass to fluid-like transition and long time super-diffusion in an evolving cell colony

The paper studies collective cell migration in tumor evolution, finding that growth rate influences the transition from glassy to super-diffusive behavior and reveals super-diffusion's universality in non-equilibrium systems.