# A Biophotonics Platform for Mechanotransduction and Metabolic Microscopy

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · 2021 · $309,002

## Abstract

A Biophotonics Platform for Mechanotransduction and Metabolic Microscopy (M3)
Project Summary: (30 lines)
Mechanotransduction has emerged as one of the main regulators of biological function. While
the downstream effects of cellular mechanotransduction have been widely studied, the interplay
between cellular mechanotransduction and metabolism remains relatively unexplored. This
proposal represents a multi-disciplinary collaboration between specialists in mechanobiology,
laser-tissue interactions, and advanced fluorescence microscopy methods to develop a unique
biophotonics technology platform that enables the precise application of impulsive force to 2-D
cell cultures, 3-D tissue cultures, and live animal models to dynamically measure cellular
mechanosensitivity and cellular mechanosignaling and correlate these with metabolic state,
membrane fluidity, messenger RNA (mRNA) expression, as well as cell/matrix composition,
morphology, organization, and stiffness. This will be achieved through a unique integration
pulsed laser microbeam irradiation used for cell/tissue stimulation with laser scanning confocal
(LSCM), multi-photon (MPM), fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) microscopy, and multi-
spectral imaging modalities. We will verify and demonstrate the capabilities of this platform in a
variety of 2-D cell culture and 3-D tissue culture systems of varying complexity and material
composition and stiffness. The proposed technology development will enable a unique
capability to measure and examine the dynamic cellular interplay of sensitivity to mechanical
cues, mechanosignalling, and other biological system characteristics including cellular
metabolism, mRNA expression, and extracellular matrix remodeling. The proposed technology
platform has broad applications for the study of normal tissue development and disease and for
high-throughput drug screening.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10140382
- **Project number:** 5R01GM129426-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE
- **Principal Investigator:** VASAN VENUGOPALAN
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $309,002
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-06-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10140382

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10140382, A Biophotonics Platform for Mechanotransduction and Metabolic Microscopy (5R01GM129426-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10140382. Licensed CC0.

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