ERC Advanced Grant · 2020
EXTRacEllular matrix MEchanochemistry: a solid-state NMR approach
The mechanical properties of structural animal tissues like bone, tendon and skin are determined by the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the tissue, a complex, changeable 3D material that forms a scaffold around the tissue’s cells. The matrix is under constant mechanical stress from our everyday movements. When it is damaged, cells in the tissue repair it; where there is repeated damage, cells must strengthen the matrix, not just repair. Thus, drivers of cell behaviour are encoded into the detailed molecular structure of the ECM. For cells to respond appropriately when they re-structure the ECM – simple repair or strengthen, for example – they need access to its mechanical history. However,…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.