What is mechanobiology?

Why are tumors detectable as stiff lumps? Why do fatty plaques in arteries only occur at certain locations? How does cell sensing of mechanical forces determine what kind of cell it becomes? These questions involve relationships between physical forces and biological mechanisms at the tissue, cell, and molecular length scales. In mechanobiology, we aim to understand how forces cause biological signaling in health and disease. This semester, you will explore examples in biomedical engineering research and in your own lives. We will work together to analyze key papers in the field and to practice explaining how mechanobiology impacts our lives and careers.

What will we learn this semester?

1. We will explore and analyze mechanisms in mechanobiology at length scales from centimeters (organs) to nanometers (molecules),
2. we will investigate how cell and tissue structure regulate phenotype, and
3. we will learn to develop and test hypotheses in cell and tissue engineering that relate to our research and career interests.