Medical Engineering Distinguished Seminar Series, Professor Bianxiao Cui

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a fibrous scaffold composed of proteins like collagen, fibronectin, and elastin. When cells interact with these ECM fibers, their cylindrical geometry can induce local curvature in the cell membrane. We discovered that such membrane curvature gives rise to a previously unrecognized class of integrin-mediated cell adhesion – curved adhesion. Curved adhesions bear lower mechanical forces than focal adhesions and exhibit distinct molecular compositions. Curved adhesions are especially prevalent in soft, 3D fibrous environments and form independently of the strong mechanical forces typically associated with focal adhesions. Interestingly, unlike focal adhesions, curved adhesions resist disruption by high affinity av integrin inhibitors. As a result, curved adhesions continue to support cancer cell invasion into 3D ECM in the presence of these inhibitors. These findings reveal a limitation of current integrin-targeting strategies and also highlight new opportunities for future therapeutic development.

Bianxiao Cui is the Job and Gertrude Professor of Chemistry and a fellow of the CHEM-H and Wu Tsai Stanford Neuroscience Institute at Stanford University. She holds a Ph.D. degree in Chemistry from the University of Chicago and a BS degree from Polymer physics from the University of Science and Technology of China. She develops new tools for understanding molecular events in living cells. One area of her research centers around membrane biology and how membrane curvature regulates intracellular signaling. The other area is to develop optical and electrode-based tools to study electrophysiology and signal transduction in neurons. Her awards and distinctions include NIH Transformative Research award (2025), Ono Pharma Breakthrough Science Initiative award, Barany Award from Biophysical Society, a finalist for the Blavatnik National Awards, NIH New Innovator Award, NSF CAREER award, NSF Inspire award, Packard Fellowships in Science and Engineering, Hellman Scholar, Searle Scholar Award and Dreyfus New Faculty award. https://cuilab.stanford.edu/