M. Taher A. Saif

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.

Opposing mechanical anchorage drives collective cell-matrix interaction

This study shows that opposing mechanical anchors enable stable cell-matrix interactions, leading to collective matrix remodeling and force generation.

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.

Tension shapes memory: Computational insights into neural plasticity

This paper presents a spiking neural network model showing how mechanical tension affects memory recall speed, inter-regional synchrony, and memory association in neural networks.

Living Neurosheets: Engineering readily deployable neural architectures

The paper introduces Living Neurosheets, modular neural systems that enable scalable, bio-inspired neural architectures with spatial control and multimodal integration.

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.

`Mind in Vitro' platforms: Versatile, scalable, robust and open solutions to interfacing with living neurons

The paper introduces a modular, open-source platform for interfacing with living neurons, enabling scalable and versatile recording and stimulation across various neural cultures and applications.

Astrocyte-mediated transduction of muscle fiber contractions synchronizes hippocampal neuronal network development

The paper shows that contracting muscle conditioned media accelerates hippocampal neuronal maturation and astrocyte proliferation, with astrocytes mediating the effects on neuronal activity.

Development of an objective index, neural activity score (NAS), reveals neural network ontogeny and treatment effects on microelectrode arrays

The paper develops a neural activity score (NAS) using PCA to quantify neural network development and treatment effects on MEAs, showing it accurately reflects expected results.