IIT Bombay researchers uncover the role of invisible mechanical cues in tissue organisation 

IIT Bombay study reveals how cells sense and respond to mechanical patterns, impacting tissue engineering, cancer research, and wound healing.

In a new study, scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have demonstrated how cells can sense and respond to invisible mechanical patterns—like built-in tensions around them. 

The research led by Professor Abhijit Majumder, was published in Cell Reports Physical Science. The findings not only add to the fundamental understanding of how cells organise themselves, but also have important implications for tissue engineering, cancer research, and wound healing.   

Cells follow very specific patterns, for instance, muscle fibres are aligned parallel to each other to enable coordinated movements, blood vessels extend toward wounds to facilitate healing, and cells in the eye are arranged radially to help focus light precisely onto the retina, ensuring clear and accurate vision. Such precise spatial organisation is essential for proper tissue function.  

The arrangement of cells directly influences how effectively a tissue can carry out its role, be it contracting, transporting nutrients, or processing sensory input. But how do cells determine their correct location and orientation within these complex systems? Professor Majumder said that for decades, scientists believed that cells primarily relied on chemical signals, like growth factors or morphogens, to decide how and in which direction to grow.  

“However, recent discoveries in this field suggest that mechanical signals are just as important. Cells can feel how stiff their surroundings are, detect tiny stretches, and even respond to surface textures smaller than themselves. In living tissue, mechanical inhomogeneities are common. You see it in tumours, healing wounds, and developing organs. But we haven’t fully explored how cells interpret and respond to these physical cues,” Professor Majumder said.  

The researchers embedded a rigid object inside an otherwise soft material, mimicking mechanical inhomogeneity. The goal was to mimic how tissues naturally develop internal tension during processes like growth, injury, or tumour formation, and how cells might sense and respond to such forces. 

Lead author Dr. Akshada Khadpekar explained, “To simulate these conditions, we designed a soft polyacrylamide hydrogel with a small, rigid glass bead embedded inside. This setup replicates a rigid structure surrounded by softer material, like a tumour within the body tissue.”