Faculty Spotlight: Joshua Brockman

Assistant Professor Joshua Brockman joined the department in the fall of 2023. Read on to learn more about his research.

Research Focus
Mechanical forces are everywhere in biology. Cancer cells exert forces when they migrate and metastasize. Platelets “grab on” to the walls of damaged blood vessels to form clots and prevent bleeding. Even immune cells physically grapple with cancerous cells as they struggle to eliminate them. Interestingly, mechanical forces between immune cells and target cells are likely important mediators in the immune cells’ decision-making about whether to kill their target. Despite their importance, cellular forces are still poorly understood because these forces are tiny and, therefore, are difficult to measure. Individual proteins on a cell’s surface transmit piconewton forces, one trillionth the force required to lift an apple. The Brockman lab seeks to engineer new technologies to enable greater understanding of cellular forces.

Current Research
The Brockman Lab makes and uses tools to quantify cellular forces. We make “molecular tension sensors” that turn piconewton forces into light, letting us capture images of cellular forces at work. We are developing new tools to measure receptor forces in complex materials. We are also working to understand the mechanical forces that T cells transmit to their environments and to tumor cells when deciding whether to kill their target.

Research Impact on the Scientific Community
We hope these tools will provide new ways for scientists to understand receptor forces and insight into how immune cells mechanically “think” about their environment.

Research Impact for the People of Wisconsin
In the long term, we believe that understanding immune cells’ mechanical forces will improve healthcare, particularly in fields such as cancer immunotherapy.

Fun Fact About Yourself
In my free time, I enjoy running, complicated board games, and cooking (but NOT baking).