Broadly defined, the research area of cellular biomechanics deals with the conversion of cellular energy into mechanical force and vice versa, i.e. the conversion of mechanical stimuli into a biological response. These processes are fundamental and critical for life as we know it, and are intimately involved in the development of major diseases such as atherosclerosis, cardiomyopathy, and cancer. A tissue at the centre of our efforts is the vascular wall, which is subjected to considerable mechanical forces (blood pressure, shear stress etc). These mechanical forces are likely to play key roles in the development of atherosclerosis.