NCN SONATA grant to investigate the role of the mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO1 in mouse embryonic development

30 06 2026

Dr Agnieszka Walewska from the Department of Embryology at the Institute of Developmental Biology and Biomedical Sciences has received PLN 1,597,224 in funding from the National Science Centre under the SONATA 21 call for the project entitled “The role of the mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO1 in pre- and peri-implantation development of the mouse embryo”.

As a mammalian embryo develops from the one-cell stage to the blastocyst, the final stage before implantation, a fluid-filled cavity forms inside it. During blastocyst growth, the pressure within this cavity doubles. The increasing pressure stretches and flattens the cells, affecting how they divide, where they are located and which developmental pathway they follow. The blastocyst is also exposed to various mechanical forces during implantation in the uterus. These forces are generated both by the blastocyst itself and by the uterine environment, and they play a crucial role in normal development. They influence cell differentiation, embryo shaping and the rupture of the glycoprotein coat surrounding the embryo, known as the zona pellucida, allowing the embryo to implant in the uterine wall.

The mechanical forces acting on the cell membrane may affect the activity of specialized structures known as mechanosensitive ion channels. These channels act as molecular switches, converting mechanical stimuli into biochemical signals that may regulate cellular behaviour and processes necessary for normal embryonic development before implantation and during the embryo’s first contact with the uterus. As part of the SONATA 21 project, Dr Walewska and her team will investigate the role of the mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO1 in early embryonic development and implantation. The researchers will focus primarily on its effects on overall embryo quality, the rate of cell division, blastomere differentiation, blastocyst expansion and the ability of the blastocyst to implant successfully.

A particularly innovative aspect of the project is the application of patch-clamp electrophysiology to living preimplantation embryos, an approach that is rarely used in research at this stage of development. This method will enable the first direct measurements of the functional activity of PIEZO1 in early mammalian embryos, providing information that cannot be obtained using conventional molecular or imaging techniques.

The project aims to characterize a mechanobiological mechanism that may play a key role in successful preimplantation development and implantation. Its results will therefore provide new data relevant not only to developmental biology but also to reproductive medicine.

Warm congratulations on receiving the grant, and best wishes for the successful completion of the project!

Details of the National Science Centre funding calls are available at:
https://www.ncn.gov.pl/aktualnosci/2026-06-11-wyniki-opus30-sonata21