MechE Colloquium: Mechanically-driven closure of extreme membrane wounds in a single cell
Event details
| Date | 24.03.2026 |
| Hour | 12:00 › 13:00 |
| Speaker | Prof. Sindy KY Tang, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University |
| Location | Online |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
Abstract: Wound healing is a fundamental aspect of living systems and is increasingly recognized in single cells. However, our understanding of single-cell wound healing is limited as many cell types used in prior studies cannot survive wounds larger than a few percent of the cell membrane area. In contrast, the giant single-celled ciliate Stentor coeruleus is a unique model that can robustly heal and regenerate from drastic wounds. Here, we leverage microfluidics to study the interplay of wound healing capacity, wound size, and cell size in Stentor. Remarkably, at all cell sizes tested, Stentor easily survives wounds up to 60% of the cell membrane area, larger than any wounds reported in other single-cell models. This critical wound size corresponds to the geometric limit where the intact membrane area equals the minimum area needed to cover the cell volume (i.e., that of a sphere). In contrast to prior studies that only reported local wound healing events, we observe large-scale wrapping of intact cell membrane to aid in wound closure. We then show membrane wrapping is driven by KM fiber extension. Our work highlights how single cells can act as mechanical systems to enable large-scale cell functions. Finally, we will briefly discuss extension of our microfluidic tools to dissect tissues for applications in organoid generation and spatial biology.
Biography: Prof. Sindy KY Tang is the Kenneth and Barbara Oshman Faculty Scholar and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and by courtesy of Bioengineering and Radiology (Precision Health and Integrated Diagnostics) at Stanford University. She received her Ph.D. from Harvard University in Engineering Sciences. The micro-nano-bio lab under the direction of Prof. Tang aims to develop innovative micro and nanoscale devices that enable precise manipulation, measurement, and recapitulation of biological systems, in order to understand the "rules of life" and accelerate precision medicine and material design for a future with better health and environmental sustainability. Prof. Tang’s work has been recognized by multiple awards including the NSF CAREER Award, and invited lecture at the Nobel Symposium on Microfluidics in Sweden.
Biography: Prof. Sindy KY Tang is the Kenneth and Barbara Oshman Faculty Scholar and Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and by courtesy of Bioengineering and Radiology (Precision Health and Integrated Diagnostics) at Stanford University. She received her Ph.D. from Harvard University in Engineering Sciences. The micro-nano-bio lab under the direction of Prof. Tang aims to develop innovative micro and nanoscale devices that enable precise manipulation, measurement, and recapitulation of biological systems, in order to understand the "rules of life" and accelerate precision medicine and material design for a future with better health and environmental sustainability. Prof. Tang’s work has been recognized by multiple awards including the NSF CAREER Award, and invited lecture at the Nobel Symposium on Microfluidics in Sweden.
Practical information
- General public
- Free