@ RCSI Dublin
Our Vision
Our aim is to decipher the contribution of mechanical forces to pathophysiological aspects of cellular behavior
in the context of vascular biology, in order to develop novel diagnostics and treatments for cardiovascular diseases.
Global Challenge
Cardiovascular diseases in ageing societies
Non-inheritable cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death and hospitalization among elderly people. Effective medications are at hand, yet means to control their dosage are immature. This poses severe health risks and limits treatment success.
Strategic Goal
To develop better diagnostics
Many cell types in the cardiovascular system have mechanical functions. These are regulated by sensing of active or passive mechanical stimuli (=mechanotransduction) and are reflected in cell morphology, contractility, and phenotype. We aim at identifying mechanical 'fingerprints' of cells that can serve as novel markers for diagnostic purposes.
Research Efforts
Currently, the lab explores the mechanobiology of platelets as a promising new route to assess the risk for thrombosis.
Platelets adhere and aggregate at injured vessel walls. These steps depend on contractile forces that are transmitted through specific adhesion receptors for collagen and von Willebrand factor or fibrinogen, respectively. We investigate the coordination between mechanical and biochemical processes in single platelets and in the developing thrombus. Our aim is to better understand how platelet mechanobiology controls the formation and growth of the thrombus.
Technology Efforts
Sharper tools for optical dissection
- We develop superresolution microscopy methods and novel labeling techniques to look at cells with molecular selectivity and nanometer resolution.
- We establish high-throughput platforms for measuring single cell traction forces and morphometric screenings.
- We employ advanced image analyses to extract relevant morphological features and quantitative information.
Partnerships
Knowledge transfer through interdisciplinary collaborations
We collaborate with leading laboratories in Ireland and Europe to bundle our complementary expertise in superresolution microscopy, mechanobiology, and clinical diagnostics.
a.o. with ETH Zurich, EMBL Heidelberg, University of Bremen, University of Würzburg, MPI of Biochemistry, University College Cork, RCSI
Selected Publications
For a full list, please visit Ingmar's profile on Google Scholar or ResearchGate.
Nanofiber topographies enhance platelet-fibrinogen scaffold interactions
It's the topography, stupid! Platelets show enhanced interactions with fibrinogen when it is in fibrillar form.
M. Kenny, S. Stamboroski, R. Taher, D. Brüggemann, I. Schoen
Advanced Healthcare Materials, 2022, 2200249
Platelets drive fibronectin fibrillogenesis using integrin αIIbβ3
More than a clot: platelets prepare the wound site for tissue regeneration by depositing fibronectin fibrils, changing gears when they sense different adhesion proteins.
S. Lickert, M. Kenny, K. Selcuk, J.L. Mehl, M. Bender, S.M. Früh, M. Burkhard, J.-D. Studt, B. Nieswandt, I. Schoen*, V. Vogel*
Science Advances, 2022, 8 (10): abj8331
PIP2-induced membrane binding of the vinculin tail competes with its other binding partners
How to grab lipid heads when your hands only have 5 fingers each? Multiscale simulations and a network analysis of residues involved in binding show how vinculin does it.
L. Braun, I. Schoen, V. Vogel
Biophysical Journal, 2021, 120 (20): 4608-4622.
Violin SuperPlots: Visualizing replicate heteroegeneity in large data sets
When data points and replicates are too numerous for being displayed as scatter plots, try out violin superplots.
Site-specifically-labeled antibodies for super-resolution microscopy reveal in situ linkage errors
So close, so far - a detailed account of the distance that antibodies add between reporter and target.
S.M. Früh, Ulf Matti, Philip R. Spycher, Marina Rubini, Sebastian Lickert, Thomas Schlichthaerle, Ralf Jungmann, V. Vogel, Jonas Ries, I. Schoen
ACS Nano, 2021, online first
Blood group alters platelet binding kinetics to Von Willebrand Factor and consequently platelet function
Blood type ABO does not only affect blood proteins but also platelets.
E. Dunne, Q.M. Qi, E.S.G. Shaqfee, J.M. O'Sullivan, I. Schoen, A.J. Ricco, J.S. O'Donnell, D. Kenny
Blood, 2019, 133 (12), 1371-1377
Real-time 3D single-molecule localization using experimental point spread functions
Fitter for SMLM, faster and more accurate than ever before.
Y. Li, M. Mund, P. Hoess, J. Deschamp, U. Matti, B. Nijmeijer, V. Jimenez Sabinina, J. Ellenberg, I. Schoen, J. Ries
Nature Methods, 2018, 15: 367-369
Morphometric analysis of spread platelets identifies αIIbβ3-specific contractile phenotype
Platelet cytoskeletal organization as a fingerprint of integrin mechanotransduction.
S. Lickert, S. Sorrentino, J.-D. Studt, O. Medalia, V. Vogel, I. Schoen
Scientific Reports, 2018, 8: 5428
Structural Insights How PIP2 Imposes Preferred Binding Orientations of FAK at Lipid Membranes
Multiscale computing reveals focal adhesion kinase's activation preferences.
F.A. Herzog, L. Braun, I. Schoen, V. Vogel
Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2017, 121 (15): 3523–3535
Molecular architecture of native fibronectin fibrils
Superresolution microscopy meets matrix biology.
S.M. Früh*, I. Schoen*, J. Ries, V. Vogel
Nature Communications, 2015, 6: 7275
The yin-yang of rigidity sensing: how forces and mechanical properties regulate the cellular response to materials
A critical review on molecular principles governing stiffness sensing.
I. Schoen, B.L. Pruitt, V. Vogel
Annual Review of Materials Research, 2013, 43: 589-618
Binding-activated localization microscopy of DNA structures
Fluorogenic dyes light up double stranded DNA at the nanoscale.
I. Schoen, J. Ries, E. Klotzsch, H. Ewers, V. Vogel
Nano Letters, 2011, 11 (9): 4008-4011Lab Members
Current & Past:
Ingmar Schoen
Principle Investigator
Email: ingmarschoen@rcsi.ie
06/2017-now: Lecturer, RCSI
2017-2019: Marie Curie fellow
2008-2017: PostDoc & Lecturer, ETH Zurich
2007-2008: PostDoc, LMU Munich
2006: PhD degree, MPI of Biochemistry2003: Physics diploma, TU Munich
Shuai Wang
PhD student
Email: shuaiwang23@rcsi.ie
10/2023-now: PhD student in the SchoenLab
10/2020-09/2023: Master by Research, Soochow University, China
Veena Chawan
Postdoctoral Researcher
Email: veenachawan@rcsi.com 03/2023-now: Postdoc in the SchoenLab
2014-2023: PhD (Biochemistry), ICMR-NIRRCH, University of Mumbai, India
2009-2011: MSc in Biotechnology, University of Mumbai, India
2006-2009: BSc in Biotechnology, University of Mumbai, India
Smita Patil
Postdoctoral Researcher
Email: smitapatil@rcsi.com
09/2021-now: Postdoc in the SchoenLab
2020-2021: Postdoc at National University of Ireland Galway
2014-2019: PhD ( Biomedical engineering), Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, India
2009-2011: MSc in Biotechnology, University of Mumbai, India
2006-2009: BSc in Biotechnology, University of Mumbai, India
Dishon Wayne Hiebner
Postdoctoral Researcher
Email: dishonhiebner@rcsi.ie
01/2021-10/2022: Postdoc in the SchoenLab
2017-2020: PhD student at University College Dublin
2016-2017: MSc in Bionanotechnology, Wits University, Johannesburg
2014-2015: BSc Hons in Microbiology, Wits University, Johannesburg
2009-2013: BSc in Molecular and Cell Biology, Wits University, Johannesburg
Martin Kenny
PhD student
Email: mkenny5@tcd.ie
02/2018-07/2022: PhD student in the SchoenLab
2015-2016: MSc in Translational Oncology, Trinity College Dublin
2010-2014: BSc in Genetics and Cell Biology, Dublin City University
Zara Ahmed
Undergraduate student
06/2022-07/2022: SResearch summer school steudent in the SchoenLab
2020-2025: Bachelor in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics, RCSI
Mikolaj Kuczera
Undergraduate student
04/2022-05/2022: Student selected component project in the SchoenLab
2019-2024: Bachelor in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics, RCSI
Éadaoin Lennon
Undergraduate student
02/2022-03/2022:
4th-year project student in the SchoenLab
2018-2023: Master in Pharmacy, RCSI
Antonia Debevc
Undergraduate student
09/2021-12/2021: Visiting scientist (Erasmus) in the SchoenLab
2019-2022: BSc in Biomimetics, Hochschule Bremen, Germany
Natalija Lakic
Undergraduate student
09/2020-08/2021: research student and research summer school participant in the SchoenLab
2019-now: Bachelor in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics, RCSI
Reem Taher
Undergraduate student
02/2020-04/2020: 4th-year project student in the SchoenLab
2016-2021: Master in Pharmacy, RCSI
Reema Alsufyani
Undergraduate student
06/2019-07/2019: Research summer school student in the SchoenLab
2016-2022: Bachelor in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics, RCSI
Alan Gaul
Undergraduate student
06/2019-07/2019: StAR Summer Research Intern in the SchoenLab
2015-2020: Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering, Trinity College Dublin
Seán Dixon
Undergraduate student
02/2019-04/2019: 4th-year project in the SchoenLab
2015-2019: BSc Biomolecular Science, Technological University Dublin
Samaher Altwirgi
Undergraduate student
03/2019-04/2019: Student selected component project in the SchoenLab
2016-2021: Bachelor in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics, RCSI
Robert Fisher
Undergraduate student
06/2018-07/2018: Research summer school student in the SchoenLab
2016-2021: Bachelor in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics, RCSI
Mohamad El Obeid
Undergraduate student
04/2018-05/2018: Student selected component project in the SchoenLab
2015-2020: Bachelor in Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics, RCSI
Funding
Our work is supported by RCSI and has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 747586 ('ThromboForce'), from Science Foundation Ireland, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, and Octapharma AG.
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