Massimo Vassalli
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View article: Polyetherureas as aqueous binders for Li ion batteries
Polyetherureas as aqueous binders for Li ion batteries Open
This study presents polyetherureas, synthesized via a green, diisocyanate-free route, as a novel aqueous binder for LiFePO 4 cathodes in lithium-ion batteries, showing comparable performance to conventional CMC binders. Image created partl…
View article: Cryptosporidium oocyst wall proteins are true components of the oocyst wall and COWP8 is not required for parasite transmission
Cryptosporidium oocyst wall proteins are true components of the oocyst wall and COWP8 is not required for parasite transmission Open
Cryptosporidiosis is a significant cause of diarrhoeal disease contributing to substantial morbidity and mortality for the immunocompromised and for young children, especially those who are malnourished. There are no vaccines and no effect…
View article: Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) Sandpit: Views on Research Paradigms and the Future of Academia
Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity (EDI) Sandpit: Views on Research Paradigms and the Future of Academia Open
In this report, we summarize the outcome of a consultation session held in January 2024 appraising adopted attitudes within scientific research. This Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Sandpit was a collaboration between interdisciplina…
View article: Shear-Induced Anisotropic Supramolecular Gel Noodles for Improved Cell Guidance in Polarized Tissue Engineering
Shear-Induced Anisotropic Supramolecular Gel Noodles for Improved Cell Guidance in Polarized Tissue Engineering Open
Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications require the integration of multifunctional materials, offering appropriate mechanical cues and geometric guidance to support tissue-specific cell differentiation. In this context, s…
View article: Modular salt-induced nanostructures formed by a functionalized dipeptide system
Modular salt-induced nanostructures formed by a functionalized dipeptide system Open
Self-assembling peptides have great potential in nanotechnology. Here, we introduce the naphthalene-modified dipeptide isoleucine-phenylalanine (2NapIF) as a modular system for creating various nanostructures via self-assembly, including f…
View article: Probing the Structure and Mechanics of Intertwined Homo- and Hetero-Supramolecular Gel Noodles
Probing the Structure and Mechanics of Intertwined Homo- and Hetero-Supramolecular Gel Noodles Open
Shaping supramolecular hydrogels formed using low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) into architecturally complex and multifunctional materials is a significant challenge. Here, we introduce a strategy to mechanically twist multiple 1D supr…
View article: Beyond Water Content: Unraveling Stiffness in Hydrated Materials by a Correlative Brillouin–Raman Approach
Beyond Water Content: Unraveling Stiffness in Hydrated Materials by a Correlative Brillouin–Raman Approach Open
Brillouin microscopy is revolutionizing bioimaging by enabling noninvasive, label-free mapping of the microscale mechanical properties of biological samples. However, the lack of a robust physical model to disentangle the significant influ…
View article: Cell loss disrupts mechanical homeostasis to drive retinal pigment epithelium ageing-like phenotype <i>in vitro</i>
Cell loss disrupts mechanical homeostasis to drive retinal pigment epithelium ageing-like phenotype <i>in vitro</i> Open
Tissue homeostasis relies on mechanical feedback loops balanced by cell loss and proliferation. However, maintaining this balance becomes particularly challenging in postmitotic tissues, where alternative mechanisms replace compensatory pr…
View article: Supramolecular Benzophenone-Based Photoinitiator for Spatially-Resolved Polymerization
Supramolecular Benzophenone-Based Photoinitiator for Spatially-Resolved Polymerization Open
Benzophenone-based materials remain widely used as photoinitiators for ultraviolet light-induced free radical polymerizations. Traditionally, polymerization is spatially controlled using top-down techniques such as photomasks, which produc…
View article: Epithelial Cell Mechanoresponse to Matrix Viscoelasticity and Confinement Within Micropatterned Viscoelastic Hydrogels (Adv. Sci. 18/2025)
Epithelial Cell Mechanoresponse to Matrix Viscoelasticity and Confinement Within Micropatterned Viscoelastic Hydrogels (Adv. Sci. 18/2025) Open
Micropatterned Viscoelastic Hydrogels Mountains, representing elastic solids, and rivers, representing viscous fluids, illustrate the concept of viscoelasticity. Cell‐like kayaks navigate narrow rivers on a hydrogel‐like terrain, evoking c…
View article: Intestinal Tissue Mechanics Regulate Angiogenesis and Stem Cell Proliferation via Vascular Piezo
Intestinal Tissue Mechanics Regulate Angiogenesis and Stem Cell Proliferation via Vascular Piezo Open
The vasculature is a prominent component of developmental and adult tissue microenvironments. How, tissue specific characteristics and environmental states influence vascular biology and function, remains largely understudied. Previously, …
View article: Contact-free characterization of nuclear mechanics using correlative Brillouin-Raman Micro-Spectroscopy in living cells
Contact-free characterization of nuclear mechanics using correlative Brillouin-Raman Micro-Spectroscopy in living cells Open
Nuclear mechanics is a key parameter in regulating cell physiology, affecting chromatin accessibility and transcriptional regulation. The most established method to characterize the mechanics of biological materials at the sub-micrometer s…
View article: Piezo1 is a mechanosensor of soft matrix viscoelasticity
Piezo1 is a mechanosensor of soft matrix viscoelasticity Open
Mechanosensitive ion channels, such as Piezo1, have emerged as having fundamental roles in sensing the mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM). However, whether and how Piezo1 senses time-dependent ECM mechanical properties…
View article: A Supramolecular Benzophenone-Based Photoinitiator for Spatially-Resolved Polymerization
A Supramolecular Benzophenone-Based Photoinitiator for Spatially-Resolved Polymerization Open
Benzophenone-based materials remain widely used as photoinitiators for ultraviolet light-induced free radical polymerizations. Traditionally, polymerization is spatially controlled using top-down techniques such as photomasks, which produc…
View article: Epithelial Cell Mechanoresponse to Matrix Viscoelasticity and Confinement Within Micropatterned Viscoelastic Hydrogels
Epithelial Cell Mechanoresponse to Matrix Viscoelasticity and Confinement Within Micropatterned Viscoelastic Hydrogels Open
Extracellular matrix (ECM) viscoelasticity has emerged as a potent regulator of physiological and pathological processes, including cancer progression. Spatial confinement within the ECM is also known to influence cell behavior in these co…
View article: Adaptive Drive as a Control Strategy for Fast Scanning in Dynamic Mode Atomic Force Microscopy
Adaptive Drive as a Control Strategy for Fast Scanning in Dynamic Mode Atomic Force Microscopy Open
Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is an advanced imaging technique which features nanoscale resolution and the ability to work under physiological conditions on soft samples. Modern AFM systems offer easy access to Dynamic Mode imaging which r…
View article: Probing the structure and mechanics of intertwined homo- and hetero-supramolecular gel noodles
Probing the structure and mechanics of intertwined homo- and hetero-supramolecular gel noodles Open
Twist-and-lock assembly of supramolecular gel noodles creates hierarchical filaments that combine strength and function. We studied twisting mechanics, crossover spacing, tensile strength, and stimuli-responsiveness to enable targeted appl…
View article: Optical, contact-free assessment of brain tissue stiffness and neurodegeneration
Optical, contact-free assessment of brain tissue stiffness and neurodegeneration Open
Dementia affects a large proportion of the world’s population. Approaches that allow for early disease detection and non-invasive monitoring of disease progression are desperately needed. Current approaches are centred on costly imaging te…
View article: Polyetherureas as aqueous binders for Li ion Batteries
Polyetherureas as aqueous binders for Li ion Batteries Open
We report here the application of polyetherureas as a new class of aqueous binder for the LiFePO4 positive electrode material in lithium-ion batteries. Polyetherureas have been synthesized using a greener route (avoiding conventionally use…
View article: Biophysical assays to test cellular mechanosensing: moving towards high throughput
Biophysical assays to test cellular mechanosensing: moving towards high throughput Open
Mechanosensitivity is the ability of cells to sense and respond to mechanical stimuli. In order to do this, cells are endowed with different components that allow them to react to a broad range of stimuli, such as compression or shear forc…
View article: <i>Cryptosporidium</i>Oocyst Wall Proteins are true oocyst wall proteins, with COWP8 functioning to hold the inner and outer layers of the oocyst wall together
<i>Cryptosporidium</i>Oocyst Wall Proteins are true oocyst wall proteins, with COWP8 functioning to hold the inner and outer layers of the oocyst wall together Open
Cryptosporidiosis is a significant cause of diarrhoeal disease contributing to substantial morbidity and mortality for the immunocompromised and for young children, especially those who are malnourished. There are no vaccines available and…
View article: Manganese-Catalyzed Synthesis of Polyketones Using Hydrogen-Borrowing Approach
Manganese-Catalyzed Synthesis of Polyketones Using Hydrogen-Borrowing Approach Open
We report here a method of making polyketones from the coupling of diketones and diols using a manganese pincer complex. The methodology allows us to access various polyketones (polyarylalkylketone) containing aryl, alkyl, and ether functi…
View article: Piezo1 is a mechanosensor of soft matrix viscoelasticity
Piezo1 is a mechanosensor of soft matrix viscoelasticity Open
Mechanosensitive ion channels have emerged as fundamental proteins in sensing extracellular matrix (ECM) mechanics. Among those, Piezo1 has been proposed as a key mechanosensor in cells. However, whether and how Piezo1 senses time-dependen…
View article: Piezo1 – Serine/threonine-protein phosphatase 2A – Cofilin1 biochemical mechanotransduction axis controls F-actin dynamics and cell migration
Piezo1 – Serine/threonine-protein phosphatase 2A – Cofilin1 biochemical mechanotransduction axis controls F-actin dynamics and cell migration Open
This study sheds light on a ground-breaking biochemical mechanotransduction pathway and reveals how Piezo1 channels orchestrate cell migration. We observed an increased cell migration rate in HEK293T (HEK) cells treated with Yoda1, a Piezo…
View article: Brillouin spectroscopy for accurate assessment of morphological and mechanical characteristics in micro-structured samples
Brillouin spectroscopy for accurate assessment of morphological and mechanical characteristics in micro-structured samples Open
Brillouin spectroscopy has recently attracted attention as a powerful tool for the characterization of the mechanical properties of heterogeneous materials, particularly in the biological and biomedical domains. This study investigates the…
View article: Metal Cross-Linked Supramolecular Gel Noodles: Structural Insights and Antibacterial Assessment
Metal Cross-Linked Supramolecular Gel Noodles: Structural Insights and Antibacterial Assessment Open
Achieving precise control over gelator alignment and morphology is crucial for crafting tailored materials and supramolecular structures with distinct properties. We successfully aligned the self-assembled micelles formed by a functionaliz…