Hammer Lab
Principal Investigator: Daniel A Hammer
Institution: University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
Primary Subfield: Synthetic Bio
Recruitment Status: Inquire for rotation/fellowship opportunities
Research Focus
Summary Leukocyte motility is critical for immunology, inflammation, and hemostasis. Immune cells exchange molecular information by direct contact, enabled by motility within secondary lymphoid organs. In inflammation, neutrophils crawl into sites of infection after adhering to blood vessel walls. Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) migrate into to bone marrow after adhesion to the blood vessel wall under flow. In work largely funded by NIGMS, the Hammer laboratory has worked to understand the chemo- mechanics of leukocyte migration for over two decades. We have used traction force microscopy (TFM), in which we measure the forces exerted by cells during motility by monitoring the defection of fiduciary beads embedded within an elastic polyacrylamide gel. We have used this method to measure the traction forces of neutrophils and macrophages, as well as many other cell types. With the technique of TFM in hand, we are now positioned for significant breakthrough in our molecular understanding of traction stresses during leukocyte motility, owing to the development of methods to delete or alter intracellular components within a cell. Of specific interest is the fascinating p…
Active NIH Awards
- 1R35GM161553-01: Combining gene editing with traction force microscopy to achieve a comprehensive understanding of mechanotransduction in leukocyte motility (2026)
- 5R01GM143357-04: Controlling the upstream migration of neutrophils by manipulating the function of Mac-1 and LFA-1 (2025)
- 5R01GM143357-03: Controlling the upstream migration of neutrophils by manipulating the function of Mac-1 and LFA-1 (2024)
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