Author interview: Dr. Akshada Jayant Khadpekar is a dedicated researcher with diverse expertise. She earned her BSc and MSc in Biotechnology from Modern College, Pune, and cleared CSIR and ICMR NET exams. Before the results, she joined IIT Bombay as a Junior Lab Assistant in Chemical Engineering, where she later pursued a part-time PhD under Dr. Abhijit Majumder, focusing on mechanobiology and cell patterning. Her PhD thesis was entitled, “Mechanics Mediated Cell Patterning: Microcontact Printing, Migration and Self-Organization”.
She then transitioned to CSIR-NCL, Pune, under Dr. Mugdha Gadgil, where she developed a CRISPR-based knockout cell line. Later, she joined Gennova Biopharmaceuticals as a Scientist, establishing a Lentivirus-based cell and gene therapy platform while gaining project management experience. Passionate about problem-solving, she remains committed to scientific research.
Lab: Dr. Abhijit Majumder, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
Research Summary: Scientists have long known that chemical signals guide cells, but we explored whether physical forces alone, specifically tiny pre-strains in soft materials, could direct cell alignment. This study explores how invisible mechanical cue (pre-strain gradients) on the surface of non-uniformly swelling hydrogels guide cells to form long-range patterns.
What was the core problem you aimed to solve with this research?
We wanted to understand how invisible mechanical cue shape the way cells arrange themselves- a crucial but underexplored factor in tissue patterning. Could cells detect and respond to these cues? How far could this effect spread? Could we predict how cells would arrange themselves based on the properties of the material they were on? By addressing these questions, our goal was to provide fundamental insights into mechanobiology that could impact fields such as tissue engineering, wound healing, and biomaterial design.
How did you go about solving this problem?
To understand the behaviour of cells in response to invisible mechanical cues, we first created a substrate which had this cue. We embedded a tiny rigid object inside a soft, gel-like material. As the gel swelled, these embedded structures caused slight mechanical distortions—pre-strain gradients—in the gel. We then placed cells on this substrate and watched how they reacted. Using a combination of experiments and computer simulations, we found that cells naturally aligned themselves along these mechanical cues. More excitingly, we discovered that this effect could spread over surprisingly long distances, affecting cells far from the original source of the mechanical cue. We tested different substrate parameters and different cell types to confirm our hypothesis. This integrated approach provided strong evidence that mechanical forces alone, without biochemical cues, can guide cellular organization over long distances.
This study is an interesting example of curiosity driven research leading to unearthing quite intricate physics and biology. – Dr. Abhijit Majumder
How would you explain your research outcomes (Key findings) to the non-scientific community?
We found that cells don’t just respond to their immediate surroundings—they can sense and follow mechanical forces across distances 20–40 times their own length. This means that subtle physical changes in tissues, like those seen during wound healing or tumor growth or organ development, could influence how cells organize themselves. Imagine a field of sunflowers all turning to face the sun—that’s exactly what our cells did, except instead of sunlight, they were following invisible mechanical patterns formed due to gel swelling on the surface of the substrate!
What are the potential implications of your findings for the field and society?
Our findings have significant implications for both the scientific community and society. By demonstrating that cells can sense and align in response to mechanical cues, our research provides new insights into tissue organization, which is crucial for fields like regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Additionally, understanding how cells respond to mechanical forces can aid in cancer research, particularly in studying how tumors influence surrounding tissues through mechanical cues. It may also improve disease modeling by creating physiologically relevant environments for drug testing.
What was the exciting moment during your research?
One of the most exciting moments during our research was when we first observed cells self-organizing into long-range patterns. We called it “sunflower-like alignment” because the cell alignment looked radiating out from the epicenter of the embedded bead on a soft substrate. Unlike traditional biochemical signaling, which is well-studied, this was a purely mechanical cue guiding cellular alignment over distances of 1–2 mm (20–40 cell lengths)—far beyond what we initially expected! Another thrilling moment came when our computer simulations precisely matched the experimental results, confirming that invisible mechanical cues (pre-strain gradient) in the substrate were indeed responsible for directing cell alignment. This validation meant that we had not only uncovered a fundamental principle of mechanobiology but also developed a predictive tool for controlling cell organization.
Paper reference: Khadpekar et al., Inhomogeneous substrate strain-driven long-range cellular patterning, Cell Reports Physical Science (2025), https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2025.102456
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