Events

CPM Seminar Series - Dr Marc Fernandez-Yague (QMUL)

Date: 17 December 2025   Time: 15:00 - 16:00     

From Forces to Fields: Decoding and Harnessing Mechanochemical and Bioelectric Signaling for Regenerative Tissue Repair

Cells sense and respond to their physical environment through tightly coupled mechanical and biochemical signals. Yet, how these mechanochemical and bioelectric pathways integrate to drive pathological tissue remodeling remains poorly understood. My research aims to decipher and harness these adaptive signaling mechanisms to design precision mechanotherapies for fibrosis and tissue repair. In this seminar, I will first present our work on how local force–adhesion coupling at single focal adhesions orchestrates wound healing¹ and how traction–FAK oscillations propagate as mechanochemical waves across tissues².

I will then highlight ongoing efforts demonstrating how fibrotic microenvironments hijack these signaling networks, and how biomaterial or pharmacological interventions can restore healthy mechanotransduction and immune function (unpublished data). Finally, I will outline how electroactive materials4 can be used to generate cell-instructive cues that re-establish physiological signaling and reverse fibrosis. Collectively, these studies establish mechanochemical coupling as a unifying principle of cell–ECM communication and open new avenues for adaptive, self-powered biomaterials that actively instruct tissue regeneration.

1. Fernández-Yagüe, M.A. Nat. Commun. 12, 1–13 (2021)
2. Fernández-Yagüe, M.A. Sci. Adv. 11, eadw6425 (2025)
3. Fernández-Yagüe, M.A. Sci. Adv. 8, eabd8056 (2022)
4. Fernández-Yagüe, M.A. Adv. Mater. 33(40), 2008788 (2021)

Location:

Arts Two Lecture Theatre

Updated by: Julien Gautrot