Fibrillar adhesion dynamics govern the timescales of nuclear mechano-response via the vimentin cytoskeleton. Credit: Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC)

Scientists have discovered how cells decide when to respond to physical forces, potentially opening new avenues for tackling diseases such as cancer and fibrosis.

The study, led by researchers at King's College London and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), reveals that cells in the body don't just sense forces, they also measure how long those forces last before deciding to act. The work has been published in Nature Materials .

In so doing, they outline a timing mechanism that allows cells to ignore brief mechanical stimuli while reacting to sustained changes, a process that is crucial in the progression of disease.

In everyday life, cells are exposed to a wide range of mechanical signals.…