Dr Pamela Swiatlowska
Postdoctoral Research Assistant
School of Engineering and Materials Science
Queen Mary University of London
Research
Cardiovascular Mechanobiology, Heart Failure, Atherosclerosis, Nuclear remodelling
Interests
My research focuses on cardiovascular mechanobiology, specifically how cells sense mechanical forces, such as blood pressure, that affect nuclear structure, chromatin organization, and disease progression in heart failure, atherosclerosis, and aging.
Multi-disciplinary Research | Innovation | Translational Research | Sustainable Lab Work | EDI
Publications

Publications of specific relevance to the Centre for Bioengineering
2025
Mechanosensitive biochemical imprinting of the talin interaction with DLC1 regulates RhoA activity and cardiomyocyte remodelingMarhuenda E Xanthis I Smith PO Prakash A Kallem T Pandey P Wilson DGS Azad A et al.
Science Advances,
American Association For The Advancement of Science (Aaas) vol. 11 (36)
05-09-20252024
Mechano-epigenetic regulation of vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype in atherosclerosisSwiatlowska P Iskratsch T Shanahan C
Atherosclerosis,
Elsevier vol. 395
01-08-2024
Hypertensive Pressure Mechanosensing Alone Triggers Lipid Droplet Accumulation and Transdifferentiation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells to Foam Cells (Adv. Sci. 9/2024)Swiatlowska P Tipping W Marhuenda E Severi P Fomin V Yang Z Xiao Q Graham D et al.
Advanced Science,
Wiley vol. 11 (9)
01-03-20242023
Hypertensive Pressure Mechanosensing Alone Triggers Lipid Droplet Accumulation and Transdifferentiation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells to Foam CellsSwiatlowska P Tipping W Marhuenda E Severi P Fomin V Yang Z Xiao Q Graham D et al.
Advanced Science,
Wiley vol. 11 (9)
25-12-2023
Lem2 is essential for cardiac development by maintaining nuclear integrityRoss JA Arcos-Villacis N Battey E Boogerd C Orellana CA Marhuenda E Swiatlowska P Hodzic D et al.
Cardiovascular Research,
Oxford University Press (OUP) vol. 119 (11), 2074-2088.
17-04-2023
Cardiovascular Mechano-Epigenetics: Force-Dependent Regulation of Histone Modifications and Gene RegulationSwiatlowska P Iskratsch T
Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy,
Springer Nature vol. 38 (2), 215-222.
18-01-20232022
Mechanoregulation of vascular smooth muscle cells phenotype in atherosclerosisSwiatlowska P Sit B Feng Z Marhuenda E Zhou X Xiao Q Shanahan C Yu C-H et al.
Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology,
Elsevier vol. 173, 41-42.
01-12-2022
Intrinsic cell rheology drives junction maturationSri-Ranjan K Sanchez-Alonso JL Swiatlowska P Rothery S Gerlach S Koeninger D Merkel R Stevens MM et al.
Nature Communications,
Springer Nature vol. 13 (1)
17-08-2022
Pressure and stiffness sensing together regulate vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype switchingSwiatlowska P Sit B Feng Z Marhuenda E Xanthis I Zingaro S Ward M Zhou X et al.
Science Advances,
American Association For The Advancement of Science (Aaas) vol. 8 (15)
15-04-20222021
Cardiovascular mechanobiology—a Special Issue to look at the state of the art and the newest insights into the role of mechanical forces in cardiovascular development, physiology and diseaseSwiatlowska P Iskratsch T
Biophysical Reviews,
Springer Nature vol. 13 (5), 575-577.
11-09-2021
Tools for studying and modulating (cardiac muscle) cell mechanics and mechanosensing across the scalesSwiatlowska P Iskratsch T
Biophysical Reviews,
Springer Nature vol. 13 (5), 611-623.
05-09-2021
Announcing the call for the Special Issue on “Cardiovascular mechanobiology—a special issue to look at the state of the art and the newest insights into the role of mechanical forces in cardiovascular development, physiology, and disease”Swiatlowska P Iskratsch T
Biophysical Reviews,
Springer Nature vol. 13 (3), 307-308.
03-05-20212020
Matrix stiffness and blood pressure together regulate vascular smooth muscle cell phenotype switchingSwiatlowska P Sit B Feng Z Marhuenda E Xanthis I Zingaro S Ward M Zhou X et al.
,
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory 28-12-2020
Microtubules regulate cardiomyocyte transversal Young’s modulusSwiatlowska P Sanchez-Alonso JL Novak P
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America,
Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences vol. 117 (6), 2764-2766.
27-01-20202019
Single cell mechanics in failing heart: role of microtubules and mitochondria re-arrangementSwiatlowska PP Sanchez-Alonso J Wright P Bello S Gorelik J
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF HEART FAILURE. vol. 21, 316-316.
01-01-2019
Nucleoli as drivers of nuclear remodelling in cardiomyocytes during Heart FailureMatzer I Wang H Kozyrina AN Fu J Iskratsch T Vassalli M Ljubojevic-Holzer S Gorelik J et al.
In
Biorxiv
Research Group