Title:
Nano and Micromechanics of Biological Tissues
Nano and Micromechanics of Biological Tissues
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Author(s)
Dean, Delphine
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Abstract
Using a variety of experimental techniques and modeling approaches, the mechanical
properties of biological tissues can be characterized over a large range of length scales. One
can look at interactions between molecules (nanoscale), cellular mechanics (microscale), or
bulk tissue properties (macroscale). In this talk, I will discuss several projects in which the
nanomechanical properties and interactions of a variety of biological tissues are
characterized. We will discuss several results where we characterized directly individual
cardiovascular cell mechanical properties as a function of microenvironment. We used
atomic force microscopy (AFM) in conjunction with confocal microscopy to directly measure
cell mechanical properties and interactions. For instance, we measured the effect of matrix
composition and structure on cardiac cell mechanical properties in vitro. The extracellular
matrix can modulate cell mechanical properties and these microenvironmental cues can lead
to changes in cell phenotype and function. In our study, cells were shown to stiffen
depending on the type of the underlying protein (e.g., collagen vs. fibronectin) as well as
whether the matrix was randomly oriented or aligned. By creating engineered
microenvironments using lithographic and nanoparticle techniques, we can design
experiments that will determine the dependence of cell mechanical function on
environmental factors. Our eventual goal is to build better models of the cardiac and
vascular cell mechanical environment.
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Date Issued
2012-03-13
Extent
51:50 minutes
Resource Type
Moving Image
Resource Subtype
Lecture