{"692477":{"#nid":"692477","#data":{"type":"event","title":"IBB Seminar","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.mbi.nus.edu.sg\/jennifer-young\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EJennifer Young\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAssistant Professor\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMechanobiology Institute\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENational University of Singapore\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E*In-person-only event!\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EABSTRACT\u003Cbr\u003EExtracellular matrix cues regulate a multitude of cellular functions, from differentiation to tissue homeostasis. During aging, the extracellular matrix undergoes substantial changes in its composition, architecture, and mechanical properties, yet how these changes contribute to age-associated cellular dysfunction remains incompletely understood. Our work focuses on defining how age-related matrix remodeling alters cell behavior and developing experimental approaches to disentangle the biochemical and mechanical contributions of the extracellular environment. This talk will highlight our studies of extracellular matrix mechanobiology across aging tissues, together with biomaterial platforms that recapitulate key matrix properties in vitro at the micro- and nanoscale. By combining measurements of native tissue mechanics with highly defined engineered microenvironments, we aim to uncover mechanisms through which the aging matrix regulates cell and tissue function and identify opportunities for matrix-based therapeutic strategies.\u003Cbr\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr\u003EBIO\u003Cbr\u003EJennifer Young was trained as a biomedical engineer at the University of California, San Diego. During her Ph.D. with Prof. Adam Engler, she studied the role of mechanics in cardiac development and created a hydrogel system capable of mimicking dynamic tissue properties in vitro. Inspired by the role of extracellular matrix in dictating cell behavior and fate, she joined the Cellular Biophysics group of Prof. Joachim Spatz at the Max Planck Institute for Medical Research to study how nanoscale extracellular matrix cues regulate cancer cell function. She established the Soft Nano-Biomaterials Lab in 2021 at the Mechanobiology Institute and Biomedical Engineering Department, National University of Singapore where her work focuses on identifying and mimicking nano-to-microscale matrix properties and unraveling their contributions to cellular behavior.\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Cbr\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:andres.garcia@me.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAndr\u00e9s Garc\u00eda\u003C\/a\u003E - faculty host\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Ch5\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u0022Extracellular Matrix Mechanobiology in Aging Tissues\u0022 - Jennifer Young, National University of Singapore\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"\u0022Extracellular Matrix Mechanobiology in Aging Tissues\u0022 - Jennifer Young, National University of Singapore"}],"uid":"27195","created_gmt":"2026-09-09 21:39:18","changed_gmt":"2026-09-11 14:37:18","author":"Colly Mitchell","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2026-10-20T12:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2026-10-20T13:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2026-10-20T13:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2026-10-20 16:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2026-10-20 17:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2026-10-20 17:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"Petit Biotechnology Building (IBB), 315 Ferst Drive NW, Suddath Seminar Room 1128, Atlanta, GA 30332","extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"1292","name":"Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience (IBB)"},{"id":"1254","name":"Wallace H. Coulter Dept. of Biomedical Engineering"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"187423","name":"go-bio"},{"id":"189814","name":"go-researchevents"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1795","name":"Seminar\/Lecture\/Colloquium"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"194945","name":"Alumni"},{"id":"78761","name":"Faculty\/Staff"},{"id":"177814","name":"Postdoc"},{"id":"78771","name":"Public"},{"id":"174045","name":"Graduate students"},{"id":"78751","name":"Undergraduate students"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:connect@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003Econnect@ibb.gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}