Biological and Soft Mechanics Lab (BSML)

Our laboratory is dedicated to deciphering the “mechanical code” underlying tissue morphology and cell fate. Centered on mechano-chemo-biological coupling, we have achieved systematic new insights across multiple scales, from macroscopic tissue to microscopic cells, and from physiological development to pathological progression. At the fundamental mechanism level, we broke through the traditional paradigm of single-cell mechanosensing, proposed the theory of “cell cluster mechanical synergy,” and revealed the emergent principle by which multicellular systems achieve fate reprogramming through geometric sensing and nuclear deformation. At the development and homeostasis level, using intestinal organoids as a model, we elucidated the physical mechanism by which tension-hydraulic pressure synergy drives morphogenesis and established a dual regulatory model of “mechanical synergy for construction, mechanical isolation for homeostasis maintenance.” At the disease mechanism level, we constructed a theoretical framework of mechano-chemo-biological coupling, revealing how tumors establish a pathological equilibrium through mechanical adaptation and vascular instability. Together, these achievements constitute a cross-scale mechanical theory system extending from fundamental principles to complex pathologies.

Currently, the laboratory focuses on the dynamics of active cell clusters, aiming to advance the field from qualitative description toward quantitative prediction. We are conducting systematic research along two major directions: First, investigating the dynamic coupling mechanisms between active cell clusters and deformable matrices, with emphasis on cell-matrix interactions during matrix-mediated self-assembly, tissue morphogenesis, and cancer invasion, aiming to construct a new mechanical theory that moves from quantitative prediction to precise regulation. Second, investigating the growth and movement evolution laws of active cell/bacterial clusters, with emphasis on analyzing how the physical and geometric characteristics of the mechanical external environment regulate cluster behavior, aiming to reveal the mechano-biological coupling mechanisms between cell/bacterial clusters and their mechanical external environment.

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