Biomechanics and Systems Biology Group
We are interested in interdisciplinary study of biology and mechanics. Towards this goal we utilize theoretical and numerical approaches of solid and fluid mechanics, and systems biology. Currently we are working on
Biomechanics of cancer metastasis
Cancer is one of the leading causes of deaths in the world with nearly 1 out of 6 deaths are reported to be due to cancer. With a cancer-type dependent rate of mortality (oral and breast cancer being the leading cancer-types for cancer related deaths in males and females in India, respectively), the metastasis of the cancer is the primary cause of almost all cancer related deaths. Metastasis of a cancer is a complex multi-step process involving cancer cell intravasation and cancer cell extravasation. The focus of the our research is on the circulatory stage of the cancer cells. The transport of these cancer cells, also known as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), by the haematogenous and lymphatic systems makes the bio-fluid mechanics of the process a potential target for possible preventive approaches against cancer metastasis. We are attempting to understand some of the biomechanical aspects of cancer metastasis which, we believe, will be essential towards designs of targeted drug delivery and other therapeutic measures against the cancer metastasis.
Mechanics and systems biology in embryonic development
Mechanical forces play extremely crucial role in embryonic development and have been center of attention of developmental biologist as well as physicists and engineers. We are also interested in studying the mechanical aspects of several developmental processes involving large scale deformations and collective cell migrations. In particular, we have been studying the role of mechanics in the pseudostratified columnar epithelium, and in epithelial to mesenchymal transition using the mathematical modeling and computer simulation approaches. In addition to the mechanics we are also interested in the interplay between the mechanical force generation and the genetic machinery. Systems biology presents itself as an approach to look at the biological systems from a higher vantage point. We deploy computational systems biology approach to study genetic regulation of protein localization, force generation, collective cell movements in the context of embryonic development.
Mechanics of cell-scaffold interactions
Tissue engineering involves regeneration of biological tissues by incorporating cells with appropriate artificial/natural materials and supplying them with necessary biochemical and biomechanical stimuli. In many of such applications, such as regeneration of articular cartilage, the mechanical stimuli at the scaffold and its transmission to the cells takes the center stage. Therefore, it becomes very important to understand the mechanical behavior of the tissue engineering scaffolds and their interactions with biological cells. We are interested in studying the nature of mechanical response of tissue engineering scaffolds and its dependence on the scaffold structure. Our current works focus on the fibrous and other porous biomaterials which we model using computational methods and study their response and force transmission to biological cells against complex mechanical loading conditions.
Physical principles of cell migration
Motility is an essential characteristic of many biological cells. It is crucial for the survival of unicellular organisms and required for many physiological functions in metazoans, such as immune response, embryonic development and cancer metastasis. Some of the unicellular organisms, such as bacteria, alga etc. propel themselves in fluid by cyclic deformation of their flagella. This mode of motility has been termed swimming since its does not require any support (adhesive or frictional) from solid substrates. More recently, some of the immune cells have also been shown to swim but not with the help of any flagellar appendage but by the cyclic deformation of their whole body (“amoeboid swimming”). On the other end of the motility mechanisms, it is the well known "cell crawling" where cells generate traction by mechanically interacting with solid substrates. We are interested in both of these modes of cell movements and we utilize theoretical and computational approaches for their study. In addition to the motion of single cell we are also interested in the collective migration of cells which is quite relevant in the context of embryonic development.