NUS Physics Breakthrough of the Year: 2024

Dr. Jingzhun Liu and Prof. Jie Yan from NUS have made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of cellular mechanosensing and mechanotransduction, uncovering how mechanical forces are converted into biochemical signals within cells. Led by Prof. Yan, the team developed a simple yet powerful formula to predict the stability of Tension Gauge Tethers (TGTs)—key tools for measuring molecular forces—eliminating the need for time-consuming experimental calibrations. This breakthrough not only enhances our understanding of how cells sense and respond to mechanical stimuli but also opens new avenues for studying mechanobiology’s role in health and disease. Their findings were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (Feb 2024).