At the Scientific Seminar of the Institute for Medical Research, held on October 9, Prof. Dr. Boris Martinac from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute in Sydney was the guest speaker.
Prof. Martinac, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and 2021 Nobel Prize nominee, is one of the pioneers who confirmed the existence of mechanosensitive ion channels (PIEZO1 and PIEZO2). These channels play a key role in converting physical pressure into biochemical signals, allowing cells to sense and respond to mechanical changes in their environment.
In his lecture, Prof. Martinac presented the latest findings on the structure and function of PIEZO channels, which act as primary receptors of mechanical stimuli and activate a cascade of intracellular signaling pathways that regulate gene expression. He emphasized the importance of understanding these mechanisms for deciphering how cells perceive mechanical stress and how these processes influence human health.
The Seminar brought together researchers from diverse biomedical disciplines united by an interest in the molecular mechanisms of mechanosensitivity and their role in cellular signaling, as well as in the potential translation of these findings into diagnostics and therapy.
