| LEC # | TOPICS | LECTURERS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction: From Tissue Biomechanics to Molecular Nanomechanics, and Biomechanical Scaling | Kamm/Lang | |
| Molecular Mechanics Introduction | |||
| 2 | Length, Time and Energy Scales in Biology kT as ruler of molecular forces thermal forces and Brownian motion life at low Re. | Lang | |
| 3 | Molecules of Interest: DNA, Proteins, Actin, Peptides, Lipids and Molecular-level Forces Molecular forces: charges, dipole, Van der Waals, hydrogen bonding etc. | Lang | |
| 4 | Random Walks, Diffusion, Life at Low Reynolds Number Statistics of random walks, freely jointed chain, origins of elastic forces. Extreme extension of a FJC and modeling force as an effective potential field. | Lang | |
| 5 | Thermodynamics and Elementary Statistical Mechanics Review of classical thermodynamics, entropy, equilibrium, open systems, ensembles, Boltzmann distribution, entropic forces. | Lang | |
| 6 | Reaction Coordinates, Energy Landscapes and Kinetics Reaction coordinates and chemical equilibrium - Kramers / Eyring rate theories, effect of forces on chemical equilibrium. | Lang | |
| 7 | Experimental Tools for Pushing and Pulling on Molecules and Imaging Intro to AFM, magnetic force, case study of an optical trap calibrations and measurement intro to fluorescence spectroscopy, force spectroscopy. | Lang | |
| 8 | Single Molecule Measurements and Introduction to Biological Motors | Lang | |
| 9 | Single Molecule Measurements and Biological Motors a Closer Look Kinesin a closer look study, analysis methods, cycle models. | Lang | |
| 10 | Introduction to Polymerization Based Motility Fiber microstructure - Actin and microtubule dynamics, methods of visualizing actin diffusion and polymerization - polymerization force Persistent Chain Model and Cooperativity The worm-like chain model, persistence length as a measure of rigidity. | Lang | |
| Tissue Mechanics Introduction | |||
| 11 | Elastic (Time-Independent) Behavior of Tissues Basic concepts of stress, elastic strain; stress-strain constitutive relations for tissues modeled using a Hookean constitutive law. | Kamm | |
| Quiz 1 (in Class) | |||
| 12 | Elastic (Time-Independent) Behavior of Tissues (cont.) Homogeneous/nonhomogeneous; isotropic/anisotropic; linear/nonlinear behavior of tissues. Relation between nano-molecular constituents and macroscopic tensile, compressive, and shear properties of connective tissues. | Kamm | |
| 13 | Composition and Nanomolecular Structure of Extracellular Matrix Collagens, proteoglycans, elastin; Cellular synthesis and secretion of ECM macromolecules; Stress-strain characteristics of tissue; Examples using concepts of elasticity. | Kamm | |
| 14 | Viscoelastic (Time Dependent) Behavior of Tissues Time-dependent viscoelastic behavior of tissues as single phase materials; Transient behavior (creep and stress relaxation); Dynamic behavior (storage and loss moduli). Lumped parameter models (advantages and limitations). | Kamm | |
| 15 | Viscoelasticity (cont.) Examples of viscoelastic behavior. Comparison of models to real measurements. Applications selected from among cartilage, vascular wall, actin gels. | Kamm | |
| 16 | Poroelastic (Time-Dependent) Behavior of Tissues The role of fluid-matrix interactions in tissue biomechanics; Darcy's law and hydraulic permeability, continuity, conservation of momentum. Creep, stress relaxation, dynamic moduli revisited; poro-viscoelastic bahavior. | Kamm | |
| 17 | Poroelastic (Time-Dependent ) Behavior of Tissues (cont.) Examples: soft tissues in health and disease; e.g., cornea; arthritis and joint degeneration; isotropic cross-linked gels compared to fibrous tissues such as meniscus, cornea (relevant to corneal dystrophy), tendon, ligament, cartilage, bone. | Kamm | |
| Cell Mechanics | |||
| 18 | Structure of the Cell Cellular anatomy, cytoskeleton, membrane, types of attachment to neighboring cells or the ECM, receptors, different cell types, experimental measurements of mechanical behavior. | Kamm | |
| 19 | Biomembranes Stiffness and role of transmembrane proteins - Equations for a 2-D elastic plate - Patch-clamp experiments - Membrane cortex - Vesicles: model systems. | Kamm | |
| 20 | The Cytoskeleton Rheology of the cytoskeleton - Active and passive measures of deformation - Storage and loss moduli and their measurements - Models of the cytoskeleton: continuum, microstructural - tensegrity, cellular solids, biopolymer network. | Kamm | |
| 21 | Cell Machinery, Simple Models for Cell Migration and Motility Measurement of cell motility (speed, persistence, "diffusivity") - Simple models for cell migration, - Actin filament assembly/crosslinking and disassembly. | Lang | |
| 22 | Mechanobiology (the "Mechanome") Intracellular signaling relating to physical force - Molecular mechanisms of force transduction - Mechanotransduction, Force estimates and distribution of stresses within the cell. | Kamm | |
| 23 | Capstone Lecture 1 | ||
| 24 | Capstone Lecture 2 | ||
| 25 | Capstone Lecture 3 | ||
| 26 | Capstone Lecture 4 | ||
| Final Exam (Quiz 2) | |||