Bashar Emon

CAF contractility controls collagen stiffness through history-dependent competition between mechanical and proteolytic remodeling

This study shows that CAF contractility dynamically regulates collagen stiffness through competition between mechanical and proteolytic remodeling, with outcomes dependent on treatment duration.

Exercise engages a mechanically activated astrocyte state linking muscle activity to hippocampal plasticity

This study identifies astrocyte contraction as a mechanism by which exercise signals from muscles influence hippocampal plasticity through increased proliferation and neuronal network modulation.

Biomechanical 3D tumor models on a micro-milled high-throughput force sensor array

This paper introduces a 3D tumor model with a high-throughput biomechanical sensor array to better mimic tumor biology and drug responses compared to 2D cultures.

A forward-engineered muscle tissue driven soft robotic swimmer

The paper builds a biohybrid robot with muscle-driven tail motion to study swimming dynamics and muscle adaptation, achieving speeds surpassing low-Reynolds number predictions.

Synapses without tension fail to fire in an in vitro network of hippocampal neurons.

The paper shows that mechanical tension in hippocampal neurons is essential for synaptic communication and firing in an in vitro network.