Speaker
Description
Single-molecule mechanics emerged in the late twentieth century from the convergence of polymer physics, biophysics and new force-measurement technologies that made it possible to pull, bend and unfold individual biomolecules rather than infer their behavior from ensemble averages. Optical and magnetic tweezers, as well as atomic force microscopy revealed that biomolecules are not passive structural entities, but mechanically responsive systems whose conformations, binding sites and lifetimes can be regulated by force. Despite their profound impact on biophysics, most classical single-molecule mechanics studies have not yet translated directly into routine clinical applications. The field is now moving toward clinical relevance, as single-molecule insights are getting converted into scalable probes and assays that report mechanically regulated molecular states in tissues. Here we discuss the development of tension-sensitive extracellular matrix nanoprobes which can distinguish between stretched (healthy organ tissues) and relaxed (pathological organ tissues) states of fibronectin fibers as found in the extracellular matrix of tissues. Distinguishing between stretched and relaxed fibronectin fibers introduces a novel and clinically meaningful class of “mechano-markers.” These mechanobiological markers go beyond traditional diagnostics, which rely solely on detecting molecular presence through antibody tests, by uncovering how disease alters the physical properties of extracellular matrix components.
