MSE 5130 - [Mechanobiology of Materials and Cells]

Spring. Not offered 2017-2018. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

D. Gourdon.

Mechanobiology, at the intersection of engineering and biophysics, seeks to understand how mechanical signals alter cell behavior. Course addresses (i) the means by which cells sense forces acting on them and (ii) the means by which those forces are created in biological systems. Examples include how cytoskeleton and adhesion sites both transduce and produce force, and the resulting changes to polarity, activation, and other characteristics of cells. The ability of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and of biologically inspired artificial matrices to influence signaling and alter cell behavior will also be discussed. Analytical techniques for mechanobiology will be reviewed including mechanical and biochemical characterization at micro-, molecular-, and nanometer scales.

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