Mechanics and Physics of Biological Cells
Ashutosh Agrawal University of Houston
[email protected] 5107898962
Franck Vernerey, University of Colorado, Boulder,
[email protected]
Isaac Kuo-Kang Liu, University of Warwick
[email protected] + 44 (0)24 76574348
Kai-tak Wan Northeastern University
[email protected] 617-373-2248
(Mechanics of Biological and Soft Materials)
Cell and its intracellular components incessantly execute numerous physical processes that govern critical phenomena such as signal transduction, cell growth, cell motility, and inter/intra cellular transport. As we learn more about the structure and functioning of these systems through experimental investigations, advances in theoretical modeling and experimental measurements at both the micro and nanoscale will play a major role in consolidating/disproving hypotheses and providing quantitative predictions. Furthermore, changes in the physical state of cells have been associated with several diseases and therefore there is a need to rationally manipulate and exploit cellular processes for critical biomedical applications.
The goal of this broad symposium is to bring together speakers from the applied mechanics, bioengineering and medical community to discuss the latest experimental, theoretical and computational developments in the field of cell mechanics and health sciences. Topics of interest include but are not limited to: cell-matrix interactions, cell adhesion, membrane-protein interactions, cytoskeletal dynamics, mechanics of intra-cellular components, inter and intra cellular transport, nanomedicine, as well as advanced instrumentation and experimental techniques for biomechanical testing across the micro and nanoscales, and their potential applications for the future of biomedicine.