The major interest of my research has always been the amazing interaction of cells with their surrounding microenvironment. Within this framework, my main lines of research aim to understand how the force-based dialogue between the cell and the extracellular matrix affects the mechanobiology, signalling and function of the cell. In particular, I am fascinated by the complex molecular mechanotransductive mechanisms that translate biophysical microenvironmental information (e.g., nanotopography) into cellular responses with drastic morphological and functional changes and how this contributes to (patho)physiological situations, such as cellular differentiation and cancer.

To this end, I implement highly interdisciplinary approaches and combine versatile state-of-the-art techniques from various fields such as cell biology, mechanobiology, advanced imaging, engineering (biomaterials), biophysics, pharmacology, nanotechnology, omics and biochemistry.