My laboratory is interested in how microenvironmental cues, particularly mechanical forces and extracellular matrix, regulate tissue development, physiology and pathology. Our work covers a wide range from fundamental studies of the molecular basis of cellular mechanotransduction to engineering of microdevices and nanotechnologies for basic research, as well as clinical diagnostics and therapeutics. A major effort is now focused on development of “Biomimetic Microsystems” that use methods of miniaturization originally developed to make microchips for the computer industry to build functional circuits with living cells as components. We currently are building tiny, complex, three-dimensional models of human organs that can be used to treat patients, as well as replace costly and time-consuming animal studies for drug development and toxicology applications. Additional studies focus on mechanical mechanisms of control of angiogenesis, organogenesis and tumor development, with the goal of developing biomimetic materials that can promote organ regeneration and reverse cancer when implanted or injected in vivo.