Most cell types, except for a few such as red blood cells, are bound together with other cells within the extracellular matrix (ECM). This matrix is made and continually remodelled by the cells inhabiting it and is under constant physical and chemical constrain coming intrinsically from the cells themselves and extrinsically from the surrounding microenvironment.¹  A cell is bound by its membrane which separates it from the ECM. However, a cell is not an isolated entity because bidirectional cross-talk across its membrane exists. The membrane, which separates the inside and outside of a cell, is vital in creating chemical...