Optics11 Life ads

A muscle model can tell us a lot about disease biology. But can it tell us how well the muscle actually functions? In the latest episode of Speaking from the Heart, we speak with Prof. Pim Pijnappel of Erasmus MC about developing advanced human skeletal muscle models to study rare neuromuscular diseases and support new treatments. While 2D cultures remain valuable for early screening, 3D engineered muscle tissues allow researchers to study contraction, maturation, and drug responses over time. Pim shares how his group is combining iPSC-derived muscle models with functional measurements, including Cuore, to better understand muscle diseases and evaluate potential therapies. The broader question is how we can make preclinical models more predictive of what happens in patients. Watch the short highlight below, and find the full interview here: https://lnkd.in/enN8EG6c #MuscleResearch #NeuromuscularDisease #TissueEngineering #DrugDiscovery #Optics11Lif

Our next #FacesOfMechanobiology entry is live! This edition features Oskar Neumann from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg on spinal cord mechanics across scales. Spinal cord tissue is mechanically complex. Its measured properties depend on tissue type, loading rate, testing conditions, and even the spatial scale of indentation. In the article, Oskar explains how #Chiaro helps characterize gray and white matter mechanics, why indentation scale can shift apparent stiffness ratios, and how multimodal testing can support more robust computational models. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/eA3NCebF #Mechanobiology #Biomechanics #SpinalCord #Nanoindentation #CNS Exploring Brain Mechanics - Collaborative Research Center

What happens when the heart's mechanical environment changes during disease? In our latest episode of #SpeakingFromTheHeart, Giancarlo Forte shares his perspective on cardiac mechanobiology and how changes in the extracellular matrix can influence cardiac cells, tissue function, and disease progression. We discuss fibrosis, mechanosensitive pathways, engineered heart tissues, and why understanding the link between mechanics and biology matters in cardiovascular research. 🗣️ See the full conversation and Giancarlo’s perspective on the mechanics of the heart: https://lnkd.in/eFHTThEZ #SpeakingFromTheHeart #CardiacMechanobiology #CardiacResearch #Fibrosis #EngineeredHeartTissue

Our next #FacesOfMechanobiology entry is live! This edition features Justin Mih on why stiffness became a core variable in mechanobiology, and how mechanics can shape phenotype, gene regulation, and disease behavior. A key theme is reproducibility, if substrate mechanics are not what you think they are, cells are receiving a different signal. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/ej8cB3D9 #Mechanobiology #Hydrogels #CellCulture #Biomechanics

Our next #FacesOfMechanobiology entry is live! This edition features Jacopo Di Russo (RWTH Aachen University, REMeD Research Group) on mechanical homeostasis, and why the retina is a powerful model to understand how tissues maintain mechanical balance over time. He explains how ageing can involve mechanical drift, how tissues may look intact yet operate closer to a failure threshold, and why mechanics is more than stiffness. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/ePqEuAgE #Mechanobiology #Retina #Ageing #Biomechanics #Mechanotransduction

3D engineered muscle tissues deserve better contractility tools. The new generation of Cuore is designed for throughput, precision, and physiological relevance.