Yinjianmin

2009-2013 Shanghai Jiaotong University, Bachelor 

2013-2018 National University of Singapore, Ph.D

2019-2005 University of Basel, Postdoc 

Our research group focuses on a seemingly simple yet highly challenging question: how cells “sense” and “use” mechanical forces to shape the structure and function of living organisms.

Within real living systems, cells are not static “components,” but exist in constantly changing three-dimensional environments. They are pulled by neighboring cells, compressed by surrounding tissues, and driven by fluid flow, while simultaneously generating forces to reshape themselves and their surroundings. These invisible forces, together with classical biochemical signals, jointly determine how tissues form, maintain themselves, and undergo pathological changes.

Centered on this fundamental question, our group pursues the following research directions:

1. How forces shape tissue morphology during development
We investigate how “pushing, pulling, and friction” between cells and across tissues during embryonic development cooperate with signaling systems to drive the formation of tissues such as muscle, and to precisely control organ structure and morphology.

2. How blood vessels form and are maintained under mechanical forces
Cells within blood vessels are continuously exposed to shear stress from blood flow while also undergoing contraction and rearrangement. We aim to understand how these forces are precisely regulated in different regions to ensure proper vascular formation, stable function, and adaptive remodeling when needed.

3. From global to local: intracellular organization of forces
We further examine how cells spatially organize and deploy different forces within distinct subcellular regions to accomplish specific tasks, enabling shape changes, junction remodeling, and coordinated collective behavior.

4. What happens when mechanical balance is disrupted
We explore how dysregulation of mechanical forces leads to diseases such as vascular malformations, providing new perspectives on the underlying mechanisms of these conditions.

To address these questions, our group has established an integrated research framework combining in vivo imaging, quantitative analysis, and physical modeling, allowing otherwise unobservable forces to be indirectly visualized and quantitatively analyzed, thereby enabling mechanistic studies within physiological contexts.

In recent years, we have made a series of advances along these directions, publishing as first or corresponding authors (including co-authorship) in leading international journals such as Developmental Cell, Nature Communications, Cell Reports, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Angiogenesis, and eLife. Our work has also attracted coverage and attention from multiple media outlets.

More broadly, our group seeks to address a fundamental question: to what extent are the “shape” and “structure” of living systems determined by invisible forces, and whether these principles can be harnessed for disease intervention and biomedical engineering.