NIH R01 · 2025
The Role of Tension Anisotropy in Fibroblast Activation
Project Summary Fibroblasts play a crucial role in tissue function by generating and modulating contractile forces in response to environmental cues. Upon activation, they upregulate actin and myosin to enhance contractile force generation, a process vital for wound closure and tissue repair. However, prolonged fibroblast activation can lead to pathological outcomes, including fibrocontractile diseases. Traditional mechanobiology has identified four primary mechanical factors influencing fibroblast activation: ECM stiffness, ECM microstructure, ECM viscoelasticity, and mechanical stress magnitude. Our recent work introduces a fifth factor, stress anisotropy, which refers to directional…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.