Exploring the mechanics of endothelial cells one cell at a time

Summary form only given. Research during the past 20 years on the biology of the vascular wall, and the endothelial layer lining the major arteries in particular, has been dominated by measurements and theories that treat the layer as being homogeneous. This is not the case, and more recent measurements have shown that the behavior of individual cells can differ markedly from the mean. In this address, I will review some of the new results that provide information at the level of individual cells and suggest how these differences between cells can provide clues regarding the biophysical processes that are at work.