How Do Cells Feel?

Our cells are constantly in motion—stretching, compressing, and adapting as they help us hear, fight infection, and absorb nutrients. But how do they generate and sense these physical forces? And what happens when that sensing goes wrong?

At the Ebrahim Lab, we explore the fascinating world of cellular mechanobiology—how cells detect and respond to the physical forces that shape tissue health and disease. We focus on two highly specialized, force-sensitive systems: the intestinal epithelium, a dynamic barrier under constant assault from digestion and inflammation, and developing sperm, which undergo dramatic remodeling to become motile and functional. By understanding how cells use cytoskeletal networks to generate and mechanosensitive ion channels to interpret mechanical signals, we aim to uncover how their failure contributes to major human diseases—including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), colorectal cancer, male infertility, and age-related tissue decline.

To tackle these questions, we use a powerful multidisciplinary toolkit that includes super-resolution live imaging, intravital microscopy, cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET),  and quantitative cell biology, combined with mouse genetics, human-derived intestinal organoids, and patient tissue samples. Our goal is to translate mechanistic discoveries into new insights—and ultimately new therapeutic strategies—for diseases rooted in mechanical dysfunction at the cellular level

We currently have positions available for talented scientists at undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral levels. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Ebrahim: seham.ebrahim@virginia.edu.