Cell Geometry

This book covers a broad range of questions related to the importance of cell geometry in many areas, including nuclear positioning, chromosome dynamics, cytoskeletal remodeling, tissue patterning, cell-matrix and multicellular contacts. It also addresses medical implications, from its implication in the development of tumors to its role in fibrosis. Together, the chapters in this book will highlight current knowledge and modern approaches to investigating the biophysical design principles underlying key biological functions, with the overall goal of elucidating the connections between cell geometry and nuclear mechanics.

Introduction to Cell Geometry. Cell-Matrix Contacts. Receptor Clustering. Cytoskeleton Assembly. Microtubules and spindle assembly. Nuclear Architecture. Geometric models of chromosomes. Multicellular Contacts. Tissue Patterning. Fibrosis. Tumors. Modeling cell and tissue geometry.

Prof. G.V. Shivashankar is currently the Deputy Director of Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore. Prof. Shivashankar’s laboratory is focused on understanding the role of cell geometry on nuclear mechanics and genome regulation in living cells using a multi-disciplinary approach. He carried out his PhD research at the Rockefeller University (1994-1999) and postdoctoral research at NEC Research Institute, Princeton USA (1999-2000). He started his laboratory at the National Center for Biological Sciences, TIFR- Bangalore, India (2000-2009) before relocating to a tenured faculty position at the National University of Singapore in 2009. His scientific awards include; the Birla Science Prize (2006), The Swarnajayanthi Fellowship (2007) and was elected to the Indian Academy of Sciences (2010). More recently he also heads the Joint Research Laboratory with FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (IFOM), Milan, Italy and was appointed as an IFOM-NUS Chair Professor in 2014.