G V Shivashankar

Mechano-genomics & AI for Biomedicine

G.V.Shivashankar

ETH Zurich & Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland

Website: https://www.psi.ch/en/mgg

Extracellular mechano-chemical signals regulate gene expression programs and cell-state transitions, although the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. In this talk, I will first highlight the tight coupling between extracellular signals, 3D genome (chromatin) organization, and gene expression. I will then discuss how sustained mechanical signals can induce cell-state transitions and provide avenues to reprogram and rejuvenate aging cells. Furthermore, I will show that the spatio-temporal alterations in genome organization during cell-state transitions, identified using fluorescence imaging combined with machine learning, serve as robust biomarkers to trace ageing-related diseases including cancer and neurodegeneration. Collectively, our results provide novel insights on the mechanical regulation of genome function but also have important applications in regenerative medicine and early disease diagnostics