How cells generate force and change shape
How tiny myosin motors working on actin filaments add up to the forces that let cells contract, change shape, and divide.
We build computational models of the cytoskeleton, cells, and tissues to understand the mechanics that shape how living systems move, grow, and hold together.
Dr. Taeyoon Kim, Principal Investigator · Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering · Purdue University
Living cells generate and respond to mechanical forces at every scale — from individual protein filaments to whole tissues. Our goal is to understand the mechanical properties of the cytoskeleton, cells, and tissues through computational models, and to connect the mechanics of subcellular structures to the physiological processes they drive.
How tiny myosin motors working on actin filaments add up to the forces that let cells contract, change shape, and divide.
How the shape and organization of the cell’s internal scaffold determine whether it acts like a solid or a fluid, and how stiff it is.
How cells push and pull on the material around them as they divide and invade, and how that material pushes back.
How cells sense the stiffness of their surroundings and contact with their neighbors to decide where to move.
The lab is part of the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue, and works closely with experimental collaborators including the Chaudhuri, Miyazaki, and Robin laboratories.