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The extracellular matrix (ECM) constituting the microenvironment of a tissue is a collection of proteins, glycoproteins, and proteoglycans. Composed of varying ratios of these molecules, the ECM in tissues or organs possesses different chemical and physical properties. In the ECM microenvironment of a tissue or organ, cell regulation is coordinated by both chemical and physical cues of the surrounding ECM to direct cell activities, such as adhesion, migration, proliferation, and differentiation.1,2  In particular, physical cues including geometry, topography, and mechanics have been shown to direct tissue formation during development and maintain tissue homeostasis throughout the postnatal life.1,3  For example, during embryo development, ECM mechanics plays an important role in germ layer organization4  and gastrulation.5  In the postnatal life, cells in a healthy tissue continue to receive mechanical cues from the ECM to regulate tissue homeostasis whereas during tumor formation or disease progression, abnormal ECM deposition or cross-linking alters stiffness of the ECM, which in turn changes mechanical cues to disrupt tissue homeostasis, ultimately leading to malignancy.6  Recently, emerging research findings of stem cell studies have demonstrated that lineage differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is affected by mechanical properties of their surrounding environment.7  Stiffness of the ECM, independently of biochemical cues, was identified as a critical environmental factor capable of directing lineage-specific differentiation of adult stem cells.8  These research findings collectively suggest that ECM mechanics plays an important role in regulation of cell activities.

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