Tissue Cells Feel and Respond to the Stiffness of Their Substrate

@article{Discher2005TissueCF,
  title={Tissue Cells Feel and Respond to the Stiffness of Their Substrate},
  author={Dennis E. Discher and Paul A. Janmey and Yu-Li Wang},
  journal={Science},
  year={2005},
  volume={310},
  pages={1139 - 1143}
}
Normal tissue cells are generally not viable when suspended in a fluid and are therefore said to be anchorage dependent. Such cells must adhere to a solid, but a solid can be as rigid as glass or softer than a baby's skin. The behavior of some cells on soft materials is characteristic of important phenotypes; for example, cell growth on soft agar gels is used to identify cancer cells. However, an understanding of how tissue cells—including fibroblasts, myocytes, neurons, and other cell types… 
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