Mechanical loads manifest into strains within tissues and interfaces of an organ. Strains within tissues are transduced by the cells to produce the needed extracellular matrix proteins to meet functional demands. This is the general philosophy of research in my laboratory which is within the Division of Biomaterials and Bioengineering. Our lab has a strong focus on mechanics, materials, and investigating adaptation of tissues/interfaces through spatiotemporal mapping of “mechano-responsiveness”. This is done by correlating mechanical strain induced biochemical signals at soft-hard tissue interfaces using several model systems including the bone-ligament-tooth fibrous joint.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of research, my laboratory is extended to the Molecular Foundry of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) with the help of NIH and DOE funded/peer-reviewed proposals. Mapping of biochemical expressions, physical properties of load bearing tissues, and biomechanics of organs are performed at UCSF, and as a guest scientist at the national laboratories/facilities.