Myofibroblasts are the construction workers of wound healing and repair damaged tissues
by producing and organizing collagen/extracellular matrix (ECM) into scar tissue. Scar tissue …

Organ fibrosis is a lethal outcome of autoimmune rheumatic diseases such as systemic
sclerosis. Myofibroblasts are scar-forming cells that are ultimately responsible for the …

Tissue-resident macrophages play important roles in tissue homeostasis and repair.
However, how macrophages monitor and maintain tissue integrity is not well understood …

Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) is an autoimmune‐triggered chronic fibrosing disease that
affects the skin and many other organs. Its pathophysiology is complex and involves an early …

Cardiac myofibroblasts play an important role in myocardial remodeling. Although α-smooth
muscle actin (α-SMA) expression is the hallmark of mature myofibroblasts, its role in …

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is a cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinase that is overexpressed
and activated in several advanced-stage solid cancers. FAK promotes tumour progression …

The effects of radiotherapy (RT) on tumor immunity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma
(PDAC) are not well understood. To better understand if RT can prime antigen-specific T-cell …

Tissue injury disrupts the mechanical homeostasis that underlies normal tissue architecture
and function. The failure to resolve injury and restore homeostasis gives rise to progressive …

It is increasingly clear that mechanotransduction pathways play important roles in regulating
fundamental cellular functions. Of the basic mechanical functions, the determination of …

Myofibroblasts are characterized by their expression of α-smooth muscle actin, their
enhanced contractility when compared to normal fibroblasts and their increased synthetic …