2026

BIOPHYSICS

Dynamics of supracellular keratin bundling and nuclear uncaging in stretched epithelia

Golde T, Pensalfini M, Chahare N, Roca-Cusachs P, Wiche G, Charras GT, Arroyo M, Trepat X

Nature Physics 1-10

SKIN

Decoding multiscale mechanisms in facial sagging: impact of soft tissue deformability, growth, and dermal anchoring on jowl formation

Pensalfini M, Bielicki A, Shaiek A, Dal Belo SE, Santoprete R

Journal of Investigative Dermatology 146(5): 1225-1235.e9

2025

BIOPHYSICS

Theory of active self-organization of dense nematic structures in actin gels

Mirza W, De Corato M, Pensalfini M, Vilanova G, Torres-Sánchez A, Arroyo M

eLife 13: RP93097

2023

Editor's suggestion

Nonaffine mechanics of entangled networks inspired by intermediate filaments

Pensalfini M, Golde T, Trepat X, Arroyo M

Physical Review Letters 131(5): 058101

Featured in Physics SYNOPSIS

WOUND HEALING

Mechano-biological and bio-mechanical pathways in cutaneous wound healing

Pensalfini M, Buganza-Tepole A

PLoS Computational Biology 19(3): e1010902

2020

SKIN

How cosmetic tightening products modulate the biomechanics and morphology of human skin

Pensalfini M, Rotach M, Hopf R, Bielicki A, Santoprete R, Mazza E

Acta Biomaterialia 115: 299–316

Editor's highlight

Activin-mediated alterations of the fibroblast transcriptome and matrisome control the biomechanical properties of skin wounds

Wietecha M*, Pensalfini M*, Cangkrama M, Müller B, Jin J, Brinckmann J, Mazza E, Werner S

Nature Communications 11(1): 2604

2019

SKIN

On the compressibility and poroelasticity of human and murine skin

Wahlsten A*, Pensalfini M*, Stracuzzi A, Restivo G, Hopf R, Mazza E

Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology 18: 1079–1093

BIOMECHANICS

Tear resistance of soft collagenous tissues

Bircher K, Zündel M, Pensalfini M, Ehret AE, Mazza E

Nature Communications 10(1): 792

2018

BIOMATERIALS

Development of a novel human cell-derived tissue-engineered heart valve for transcatheter aortic valve replacement

Lintas V, Fioretta ES, Motta SE, Dijkman PE, Pensalfini M, Mazza E, Caliskan E, Rodriguez H, Lipiski M, Sauer M, Cesarovic N, Hoerstrup SP, Emmert MY

Journal of Cardiovascular Translational Research 11(6): 470–482

SKIN

A novel ultra-light suction device for mechanical characterization of skin

Müller B*, Elrod J*, Pensalfini M, Hopf R, Distler O, Schiestl C, Mazza E

PLoS ONE 13(8): e0201440

SKIN

Location-specific mechanical response and morphology of facial soft tissues

Pensalfini M, Weickenmeier J, Rominger M, Santoprete R, Distler O, Mazza E

Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 78: 108–115

WOUND HEALING

The mechanical fingerprint of murine excisional wounds

Pensalfini M, Haertel E, Hopf R, Wietecha M, Werner S, Mazza E

Acta Biomaterialia 65: 226–236

BIOMECHANICS

The suture retention strength, revisited and revised

Pensalfini M, Meneghello S, Lintas V, Bircher K, Ehret AE, Mazza E

Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 77: 711–717

2017

SKIN

Factors affecting the mechanical behavior of collagen hydrogels for skin tissue engineering

Pensalfini M, Ehret AE, Stüdeli S, Marino D, Kaech A, Reichmann E, Mazza E

Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 69: 85–97

2016

BIOMATERIALS

Guidelines for standardization of bioprinting: a systematic study of process parameters and their effect on bioprinted structures

Kesti M, Fisch P, Pensalfini M, Mazza E, Zenobi-Wong M

BioNanoMaterials 17(3–4): 193–204

2015

BIOMECHANICS

Challenging the in-vivo assessment of biomechanical properties of the uterine cervix

Maurer MM*, Badir S*, Pensalfini M, Bajka M, Abitabile P, Zimmermann R, Mazza E

Journal of Biomechanics 48(9): 1541–1548

2014

BIOMECHANICS

Evaluation of global load sharing and shear-lag models to describe mechanical behavior in partially lacerated tendons

Pensalfini M, Duenwald-Kuehl S, Kondratko-Mittnacht J, Lakes R, Vanderby R

Journal of Biomechanical Engineering 136(9): 091006