Mechano-Genomics Group
The Mechano-Genomics Group was initiated with the recruitment of G.V.Shivashankar as a Full Professor to the Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, jointly with the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). Shiva’s research laboratory is located at PSI and has started its activities in January 2020. On the computational side, we closely collaborate with Caroline Uhler's group at MIT.
Cellular ageing is inevitable, but the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Importantly, a major unmet challenge is to rejuvenate ageing cells for applications in regenerative medicine. To address this challenge, our group focusses on understanding the mechano-genomic mechanisms underlying cellular ageing and how ageing cells can be partially reprogrammed and rejuvenated using non-genetic methods for robust therapeutic interventions. Over the years, our group has demonstrated that mechanical confinement of cells results in modular changes in nuclear mechanotransduction, 3D chromosome organization and gene expression. Based on these studies, we recently discovered that growth of fibroblast cells under sustained mechanical confinement results in their partial reprogramming. In addition, we showed that re-differentiation of such partially reprogrammed aged fibroblasts, under appropriate matrix stiffness, results in their remarkable rejuvenation to younger-like fibroblast cell states, providing novel avenues for tissue regeneration and repair. In these studies, we employ multi-scale correlative bio-imaging methods combined with bioengineered interfaces, functional genomics, theoretical modeling, and machine learning.
Open positions
In our projects, we have multiple openings for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows with a strong background in molecular and cell biology, genomics, bioengineering, advanced light microscopy/image analysis and computational biology. >>> More Information (FDF)
Senior Scientists associated with the MGG group:
Celestino Padeste is a Chemist specializing on polymer brushes and biointerfaces, and engaged in the development and fabrication of supports for protein crystallography. Currently, he is initiating collaborations with the Mechano-Genomics Group to develop single-cell 3D engineered wells combined with microfluidics for Nuclear Mechanobiology.
Philipp Berger is a Cell Biologist specializing on receptor mediated cell signaling mechanisms. Outside of his main research program, he is initiating collaborations with the Mechano-Genomics Group to develop multi-color labelling strategies for Nuclear Mechanotransduction.
Soichiro Tsujino is a Physicist currently working on the application of acoustic levitation for protein crystallography. Outside of his main research program, he is initiating collaborations with the Mechano-Genomics Group to develop ultrasound based methods to analyze Nuclear Mechanical Homeostasis.