The niche in which stem cells reside is involved in the regulation of stem cell fate, such as differentiation and self-renewal, by providing ECM proteins, growth factors, cell-cell interactions and balancing chemical factors such as the level of oxygen and pH. ECM proteins are i…
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The motivation for this PhD thesis was to understand the molecular basis of how cells regulate the formation of an organised and mechanically strong extracellular matrix (ECM). In tendon this process begins during embryogenesis with the appearance of bundles of narrow-diameter (…
Hyaluronic acid (HA) is one of the major components of the extracellular matrix; and may exhibit different biological functions, dependent on polymer molecular weight (MW). The signalling events performed by HA are mediated through interactions with its main cell receptors: CD44…
The development of strategies to control the interface between biomolecules and a solid support is critical to a number of research areas, including drug discovery, tissue engineering, and gene microarray technology. In particular, tremendous effort has been extended toward inte…
Cancer is a devastating disease that claims millions of lives each year. It has long been recognized that solid tumors are usually much stiffer than normal tissues. While it is well-established that extracellular matrix (ECM) properties affect many aspects of cell behaviour, the…
The primary objective of this research was to identify and characterize tumor-related genes and transcriptional or signaling modulators that affect cell adhesion and motility, and to characterize their mode(s) of activity. Identification of pro-migratory genes is critical to our…
The ECM is a very complex, heterogeneous mixture of proteins, peptides, and hormones, which has proven difficult to model in vitro. Currently, a number of model substrates and systems have been developed utilizing polymers, layer-by-layer methods, and self-assembled monolayers (…
The rapid progression of high-grade brain tumors is related to diffuse infiltration of single tumor cells into the surrounding brain parenchyma, a process that involves aberrant interactions between tumor cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM). Tremendous effort has been devot…
Extracellular matrix (ECM) is a key component and regulator of many biological tissues. Several cardiovascular pathologies are associated with significant changes in the composition of the matrix. Better understanding of these pathologies and the physiological phenomenon behind …