MBI Insight

MBI Hosts Students from Sakura High School!

MBI hosted students from Sakura High School, Chiba, Japan on 22nd January 2026 for an outreach session designed to spark curiosity about mechanobiology and research careers.

Violet vs. Blue: Controlling Mechanotransduction with a Single-protein Light Switch

In a study published in the Journal of Cell Science, led by Ryosuke Nishimura at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS, researchers developed an optogenetic tool to precisely manipulate talin’s structure and observe the resulting cellular behavior.

EASMB Symposium 2025 Showcases Global Participation and Relevance

The East Asian Single-Molecule Biophysics Symposium 2025 (EASMB2025) held from 24 to 26 November at the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium in the Education Resource Centre, UTown, National University of Singapore showcased global participation and relevance.

The Pressure That Shapes Life: Mechanical Forces Behind Egg Maturation

Researchers from the Chan Lab at MBI demonstrate the importance of compressive stress exhibited by theca cells in healthy follicle maturation and surrounding support cells, suggesting a new perspective in understanding infertility.

Quantitative Micro-Elastography: New Imaging Tool Uncovers Age-Dependent Mechanical Changes in Ovarian Tissue

Researchers from the Chan Lab at MBI develop a a novel method called quantitative micro-elastography to create detailed 3D maps of ovarian stiffness in mice—revealing crucial insights that could lead to new infertility treatments.

Tumor-on-a-chip Shows How Microenvironment Architecture Affects Liver Cancer Therapies

Researchers from the Pavesi Group at the Mechanobiology Institute, NUS develops in vitro models of liver tumors to study how the presence of vasculature networks affect cancer therapies.

Appreciation evening for MBI’s Founding Director

On Friday 28 June 2019, MBI held an appreciation dinner for Prof. Michael Sheetz to mark his time as Director of MBI. Prof. Sheetz has been MBI Director since its inception, having been recruited by Prof. Hew Choy Leong to lead a new RCE in Mechanobiology in 2008.

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MBI Director honoured with ASCB Senior Leadership Award

MBI Director Prof. Li Rong has been awarded the 2019 Sandra K. Masur Senior Leadership Award from the American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB). This award recognizes cell biology researchers whose “outstanding scientific achievements are coupled with a record of active leadership in mentoring both men and women in scientific careers.”

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BIOS 2017: Post-event report

MBI NUS hosted BIOS2017 on 15th of September. BIOS, a MBI Women in Science initiative, is a unique national-level biology symposium that aims to bring together women researchers in Singapore from diverse realms of life sciences research.

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Appreciation evening for MBI’s Founding Director

On Friday 28 June 2019, MBI held an appreciation dinner for Prof. Michael Sheetz to mark his time as Director of MBI. Prof. Sheetz has been MBI Director since its inception, having been recruited by Prof. Hew Choy Leong to lead a new RCE in Mechanobiology in 2008.

Learn More »

MBI Director honoured with ASCB Senior Leadership Award

MBI Director Prof. Li Rong has been awarded the 2019 Sandra K. Masur Senior Leadership Award from the American Society of Cell Biology (ASCB). This award recognizes cell biology researchers whose “outstanding scientific achievements are coupled with a record of active leadership in mentoring both men and women in scientific careers.”

Learn More »