Cells and viscoelasticity
Current mechanotransduction studies focus on the role of stiffness on cell behavior, but tissues are typically viscoelastic, exhibiting relaxation over a characteristic time-scale. We have been studying the impact of biomaterial stiffness and stress-relaxation on both cancerous and stem cells, and developed materials that allow changes in mechanical properties to be decoupled from changes in gel architecture and adhesion ligand presentation.
Bio
David Mooney is the Pinkas Family Professor of Bioengineering in the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a Core Faculty Member of the Wyss Institute. His laboratory designs biomaterials to make cell and protein therapies effective and practical approaches to treat disease. His team created the first biomaterial-based, therapeutic cancer vaccine, currently in a clinical trial for melanoma. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, and the National Academy of Medicine. He has won numerous awards, including the Clemson Award from the SFB, Distinguished Scientist Award from the IADR, Phi Beta Kappa Prize for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and the Everett Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Award from Harvard College. His inventions have been licensed by twelve companies, leading to commercialized products, and he is active on industrial scientific advisory boards.