Substantial research over the past two decades has established that extracellular matrix
(ECM) elasticity, or stiffness, affects fundamental cellular processes, including spreading …

Tumors are characterized by extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, remodeling, and cross-
linking that drive fibrosis to stiffen the stroma and promote malignancy. The stiffened stroma …

Most cancers arise in individuals over the age of 60. As the world population is living longer
and reaching older ages, cancer is becoming a substantial public health problem. It is …

The cell microenvironment has emerged as a key determinant of cell behavior and function
in development, physiology, and pathophysiology. The extracellular matrix (ECM) within the …

The tumor micro-environment often contains stiff and irregular-bundled collagen fibers that
are used by tumor cells to disseminate. It is still unclear how and to what extent, extracellular …

Physical changes in skin are among the most visible signs of aging. We found that young
dermal fibroblasts secrete high levels of extracellular matrix (ECM) constituents, including …

Body implants and implantable medical devices have dramatically improved and prolonged
the life of countless patients. However, our body repair mechanisms have evolved to isolate …

Scarring is part of the normal healing response to tissue injury in all organs and required to
rapidly repair acute damages, mostly with extracellular matrix. A variety of different cells are …

Macrophage (Mϕ)-fibroblast interactions coordinate tissue repair after injury whereas
miscommunications can result in pathological healing and fibrosis. We show that contracting …

In this work, we constructed a Collagen I–Matrigel composite extracellular matrix (ECM). The
composite ECM was used to determine the influence of the local collagen fiber orientation …