This book will cover the cutting-edge developments in molecular and cellular mechanobiology to date. Readers will have a clear understanding of mechanobiology at the molecular and cellular levels, encompassing the mechanosensors, transducers, and transcription. An integrative approach across different scales from molecular sensing to mechanotransduction and gene modulation for physiological regulation of cellular functions will be explored, as well as applications to pathophysiological states in disease. A comprehensive understanding of the roles of physicochemical microenvironment and intracellular responses in determining cellular function in health and disease will also be discussed.

Mechanobiology: From Molecular Sensing to Disease will provide a review of the current state of understanding of mechanobiology and its role in health and disease. It covers: Current understanding of the main molecular pathways by which cells sense and respond to mechanical stimuli, A review of diseases that with known or purported mechanobiological underpinnings; The role of mechanobiology in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine; Experimental methods to capture mechanobiological phenomena; Computational models in mechanobiology. - Presents our current understanding of the main molecular pathways by which cells sense and respond to mechanical stimuli - Provides a review of diseases with known or purported mechanobiological underpinnings - Includes the role of mechanobiology in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine - Covers experimental methods to capture mechanobiological phenomena

Mechanobiology of Cell-Matrix Interactions focuses on characterization and modeling of interactions between cells and their local extracellular environment, exploring how these interactions may mediate cell behavior. Studies of cell-matrix interactions rely on integrating engineering, (molecular and cellular) biology, and imaging disciplines. Recent advances in the field have begun to unravel our understanding of how cells gather information from their surrounding environment, and how they interrogate such information during the cell fate decision making process. Topics include adhesive and integrin-ligand interactions; extracellular influences on cell biology and behavior; cooperative mechanisms of cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions; the mechanobiology of pathological processes; (multi-scale) modeling approaches to describe the complexity or cell-matrix interactions; and quantitative methods required for such experimental and modeling studies.

Introduction to Cell Mechanics and Mechanobiology is designed for a one-semester course in the mechanics of the cell offered to advanced undergraduate and graduate students in biomedical engineering, bioengineering, and mechanical engineering. It teaches a quantitative understanding of the way cells detect, modify, and respond to the physical prope

This detailed book collects methodologies exploring mechanobiology, the involvement of mechanical forces in cell fate specification and in controlling single and collective cell behaviors such as directed migration, morphogenesis, wound healing, and the immune response. The volume features methods to quantify the mechanical properties of cells and adhesion proteins, to expose cells to external mechanical forces, to quantitatively characterize mechano-responses at various scales, to measure forces applied by cells on the extracellular matrix, as well as chapters on force measurement inside cells, probing cell signaling and gene expression in response to force, and biophysical modeling of cell shape and protein dynamics. Written for the highly successful Methods in Molecular Biology series, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary material and reagents, step-by-step and readily reproducible protocols, and tips on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and practical, Mechanobiology: Methods and Protocols aims to provide meaningful tools for cell and developmental biologists approaching the study of cell and tissue dynamics from a mechanobiological perspective, molecular biologists interested in the effects of force on proteins, as well as for cancer biologists and biophysicists.

Mechanobiology in Health and Disease brings together contributions from leading biologists, clinicians, physicists and engineers in one convenient volume, providing a unified source of information for researchers in this highly multidisciplinary area. Opening chapters provide essential background information on cell mechanotransduction and essential mechanobiology methods and techniques. Other sections focus on the study of mechanobiology in healthy systems, including bone, tendons, muscles, blood vessels, the heart and the skin, as well as mechanobiology studies of pregnancy. Final chapters address the nascent area of mechanobiology in disease, from the study of bone conditions, skin diseases and heart diseases to cancer. A discussion of future perspectives for research completes each chapter in the volume. This is a timely resource for both early-career and established researchers working on mechanobiology. Provides an essential digest of primary research from many fields and disciplines in one convenient volume Covers both experimental approaches and descriptions of mechanobiology problems from mathematical and numerical perspectives Addresses the hot topic of mechanobiology in disease, a particularly dynamic field of frontier science

This book describes these exciting new developments, and presents experimental and computational findings that altogether describe the frontier of knowledge in cellular and biomolecular mechanics, and the biological implications, in health and disease. The book is written for bioengineers with interest in cellular mechanics, for biophysicists, biochemists, medical researchers and all other professionals with interest in how cells produce and respond to mechanical loads.

"Mechanotransduction" is the term for the ability, first described by 19th-century anatomist Julius Wolff, of living tissues to sense mechanical stress and respond by tissue remodeling. More recently, the scope of mechanotransduction has been expanded to include the sensation of stress, its translation into a biochemical signal, and the sequence of biological responses it produces. This book looks at mechanotransduction in a more restricted sense, focusing on the process of stress sensing and transducing a mechanical force into a cascade of biochemical signals. This stress has become increasingly recognized as one of the primary and essential factors controlling biological functions, ultimately affecting the function of the cells, tissues, and organs. A primary goal of this broad book is also to help define the new field of mechanomics, which attempts to describe the complete mechanical state of a biological system.

Biological Soft Matter Explore a comprehensive, one-stop reference on biological soft matter written and edited by leading voices in the field Biological Soft Matter: Fundamentals, Properties and Applications delivers a unique and indispensable compilation of up-to-date knowledge and material on biological soft matter. The book presents a thorough overview about biological soft matter, beginning with different substance classes, including proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and polysaccharides. It goes on to describe a variety of superstructures and aggregated and how they are formed by self-assembly processes like protein folding or crystallization. The distinguished editors have included materials with a special emphasis on macromolecular assembly, including how it applies to lipid membranes, and proteins fibrillization. Biological Soft Matter is a crucial resource for anyone working in the field, compiling information about all important substance classes and their respective roles in forming superstructures. The book is ideal for beginners and experts alike and makes the perfect guide for chemists, physicists, and life scientists with an interest in the area. Readers will also benefit from the inclusion of: An introduction to DNA nano-engineering and DNA-driven nanoparticle assembly Explorations of polysaccharides and glycoproteins, engineered biopolymers, and engineered hydrogels Discussions of macromolecular assemblies, including liquid membranes and small molecule inhibitors for amyloid aggregation A treatment of inorganic nanomaterials as promoters and inhibitors of amyloid fibril formation An examination of a wide variety of natural and artificial polymers Perfect for materials scientists, biochemists, polymer chemists, and protein chemists, Biological Soft Matter: Fundamentals, Properties and Applications will also earn a place in the libraries of biophysicists and physical chemists seeking a one-stop reference summarizing the rapidly evolving topic of biological soft matter.

This book is an introduction to the mechanical properties, the force generating capacity, and the sensitivity to mechanical cues of the biological system. To understand how these qualities govern many essential biological processes, we also discuss how to measure them. However, before delving into the details and the techniques, we will first learn the operational definitions in mechanics, such as force, stress, elasticity, viscosity and so on. This book will explore the mechanics at three different length scales – molecular, cellular, and tissue levels – sequentially, and discuss the measurement techniques to quantify the intrinsic mechanical properties, force generating capacity, mechanoresponsive processes in the biological systems, and rupture forces.