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Colly Mitchell
Program Coordinator
Summary Sentence: "Mechanoreception of Adhesion and Signaling Molecules on the Cell Surface" - Cheng Zhu, PhD - Georgia Tech
Full Summary: The Petit Institute Breakfast Club seminar series was started with the spirit of the Institute's interdisciplinary mission in mind and started to feature local Petit Institute faculty member's research in a seminar format. Faculty are often asked to speak at other universities and conferences, but rarely present at their home institution, this seminar series is an attempt to close that gap. The Petit Institute Breakfast Club is open to anyone in the bio-community.
Breakfast Club Seminar Series"Mechanoreception of Adhesion and Signaling Molecules on the Cell Surface"
Cheng Zhu, PhD
Executive Director for International Programs
J. Erskine Love Endowed Chair in Engineering
Regents' Professor
Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
Georgia Tech
Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics Laboratory (CMBL)
The CMBL's interests lie in the adhesion and signaling molecules of the immune system as well as those involved in platelet adhesion and aggregation. They are primarily focused on early cell surface interaction kinetics and their primary signaling responses, as these are critical in determining how a cell will ultimately respond upon contact with another cell. The majority of their work ranges from single molecule interaction studies using atomic force microscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, or biomembrane force probe assays to single cell studies using micropipette adhesions assays, fluorescence imaging techniques, or real-time confocal microscopy. These assays focus on the mechanics and kinetics of receptor-ligand binding and their downstream signaling effects within cells. T cell receptors, selectins, integrins, and their respective ligands are some of the cell surface molecules currently under investigation in our lab. Understanding the initial interaction between molecules such as these and their subsequent early signaling processes is crucial to elucidating the response mechanisms of these physiological systems. Ultimately, the CMBL's research strives to help better understand the mechanisms within these systems for possible medical applications in autoimmunity, allergy, transplant rejection, and thrombotic disorders.
