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Biochemical and genetic studies have long dominated biological research, but recent years have seen a surge of interest in examining the contribution of physical forces to molecular, cellular and organismal function. The collaborative nature of this field, involving interactions between biologists, physicists, mathematicians and chemists, is providing us with a growing understanding of the mechanical principles behind many biological processes.

In this meeting, we are aiming to bring together investigators from different disciplines that use diverse experimental and computational approaches and a variety of model systems to address key questions about the role of forces in biology, including: the importance of force in molecular function; the involvement of force mediated by the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton in intracellular mechanics; how cells detect and respond to forces exerted by the microenvironment and neighboring cells; the role of force in physiological processes; and the regulation of cell and tissue mechanics during morphogenetic events in different organisms.

Confirmed Speakers

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Martin A. Schwartz, Yale

Dennis E. Discher, Penn
Erika L.F. Holzbaur, Penn
Taekjip Ha, Illinois
Tarun M. Kapoor, Rockefeller
Julie A. Theriot, Stanford
Satyajit Mayor, NCBS, Bangalore
Stephan W. Grill, MPI-CBG Dresden
Miriam B. Goodman, Stanford
Christopher S. Chen, Penn
Alpha S. Yap, University of Queensland
Emmanuel Farge, Institut Curie, France
Valerie M. Weaver, UCSF
David M. Warshaw, UVM
Joerg T. Albert, UCL
Donald E. Ingber, Harvard
William Margolin, UT Houston
Arezki Boudaoud, ENS Lyon
Jennifer A. Zallen, Sloan-Kettering
Carl-Philipp Heisenberg, IST Austria