Hippo pathway is the main axis regulating organ size and geometry, with the overexpression of its downstream effector YAP leading to tissue overgrowth and organomegaly [Camargo et al., Curr. Biol. 17: 2054–2060, 2007]. Hippo and its downstream effectors YAP/TAZ are mechanically activated when the cell perceives dynamic modifications of extracellular matrix (ECM) mechanics and nanotopography. Mechanical signals induce YAP/TAZ shuttling to the nucleus where they activate cell- and stage-specific genetic programs. Among these programs, they are known to activate cell proliferation and migration, but also to strengthen cell-matrix interaction by reinforcing the stability of focal adhesion complexes [Nardone et al., Nat Comms 8:15321, 2017]. Recent studies on tumour biology clarified that YAP/TAZ act as oncogenes by feeding metastatic cell dissemination while remodelling ECM composition and mechanics. On the other hand, YAP sustained co-transcriptional activity increases cell own stiffness and affects the behaviour of surrounding cells [Calvo et al., Nat Cell Biol 15: 637–646, 2013]. The peculiar activity of Hippo as a mechanically sensitive pathway involved in cell and tissue growth makes it a bridge between ECM mechanics and disease.

Giancarlo Forte is currently Vice Chair of the International Clinical Research Center, St. Anne’s University Hospital in Brno (FNUSA-ICRC), Czechia. He also serves as group Leader of the Center for Translational Medicine (CTM). He obtained his PhD in Experimental Pathophysiology at the University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Italy in 2005. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the Italian Institute for Cardiovascular Research in 2006-2009 and then a Senior Scientist at the National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) in Japan until 2013. Since 2014, Dr. Forte is an Adjunct Professor in Cell Biology and Biomaterials at the University of Turku, Finland. His present research mainly focuses on the involvement of cell mechanobiology in aging diseases. He is an author of more than 50 publications in peer- reviewed journals, several book chapters and regularly contributes to International and National Conferences.