Biophysical Society Thematic Meeting | Singapore

Mechanobiology of Disease

Welcome Letter

September 2016

Dear Colleagues, We would like to welcome you to the Biophysical Society Thematic Meeting, Mechanobiology of Disease , co-organized by the Mechanobiology Institute (MBI), National University of Singapore. Over the past few years, mechanobiology has been instrumental in answering fundamental biological questions. Excitingly, many researchers are now applying mechanobiology to revolutionize our understanding of disease pathogenesis. Our understanding of how cells integrate mechanics is now inspiring the design of new therapies and diagnostic tools. At its core, mechanobiology is a truly interdisciplinary science. Although the core principles lie at the interface between physics and biology, mechanobiology has benefited from contributions from many other disciplines including engineering, developmental biology, virology, and computational science. As a result, this meeting brings together a diverse group of world-leading scientists to provide their international and multidisciplinary perspectives on the mechanobiology of disease. The scientific program will have around 30 talks and 80 posters, providing a snapshot of the latest research findings in the field. We have also allowed plenty of time for informal discussion and networking during lunches, coffee breaks, and the banquet, and hope that this will enable a lively exchange of ideas and inspire new research collaborations to dissect the mechanobiology of cancer, infectious diseases, and many other disorders. We would like to thank our sponsors Fisher Scientific, MERCK, Rexadvance, Nanyang Technological University and The Company of Biologists for supporting this thematic meeting. Finally, we hope you enjoy your visit to tropical Singapore and the unique professional and cultural experiences offered by this little red dot! Sincerely,

The Organizing Committee Dino Di Carlo Jochen Guck

Linda J Kenney Chwee Teck Lim Michael Sheetz G.V. Shivashankar