The book focuses on the aqueous interface of biomolecules, a vital yet overlooked area of biophysical research. Most biological phenomena cannot be fully understood at the molecular level without considering interfacial behavior. The author presents conceptual advances in molecular biophysics that herald the advent of a new discipline, epistructural biology, centered on the interactions of water and bio molecular structures across the interface. The author introduces powerful theoretical and computational resources in order to address fundamental topics such as protein folding, the physico-chemical basis of enzyme catalysis and protein associations. On the basis of this information, a multi-disciplinary approach is used to engineer therapeutic drugs and to allow substantive advances in targeted molecular medicine. This book will be of interest to scientists, students and practitioners in the fields of chemistry, biophysics and biomedical engineering.

This book focuses primarily on the role of interfacial forces in understanding biological phenomena at the molecular scale. By providing a suitable statistical mechanical apparatus to handle the biomolecular interface, the book becomes uniquely positioned to address core problems in molecular biophysics. It highlights the importance of interfacial tension in delineating a solution to the protein folding problem, in unravelling the physico-chemical basis of enzyme catalysis and protein associations, and in rationally designing molecular targeted therapies. Thus grounded in fundamental science, the book develops a powerful technological platform for drug discovery, while it is set to inspire scientists at any level in their careers determined to address the major challenges in molecular biophysics. The acknowledgment of how exquisitely the structure and dynamics of proteins and their aqueous environment are related attests to the overdue recognition that biomolecular phenomena cannot be effectively understood without dealing with interfacial behaviour. There is an urge to grasp how biologically relevant behaviour is shaped by the structuring of biomolecular interfaces and how interfacial tension affects the molecular events that take place in the cell. This book squarely addresses these needs from a physicist perspective. The book may serve as a monograph for practitioners and, alternatively, as an advanced textbook. Fruitful reading requires a background in physical chemistry and some basics in biophysics. The selected problems at the end of the chapters and the progression in conceptual difficulty make it a suitable textbook for a graduate level course or an elective course for seniors majoring in chemistry, physics, biomedical engineering or related disciplines.

This text examines films of biomolecules that can provide solid surfaces for catalyzing enzyme reactions, serve in biosensors and as biorecognition elements, mediate nanoparticle formation, and provide a basis for fundamental studies and applications in biomedicine and biomedical devices.

This book combines three fundamental areas of interest to the science and engineering community, these being material science, nanotechnology and molecular engineering. Although there have been various results published in this field, there has yet to be a fully comprehensive review. This book covers key research on molecular mechanisms and thermodynamic behaviour of (bio)polymer surfaces and interfaces, from theoretical and experimental perspectives.

1.1. Definition of Terms-Thrombosis, Thromboembolic Disease, Atherosclerosis, and Blood Clotting The terms heart attack or myocardial infarction are more commonly used than thrombosis. The infarct-muscle destruction is simply the end result and thrombosis is the real cause of the heart attack. Thrombosis may be defined as the process of formation of a coalescent or agglutinated solid mass of blood components in the blood stream. Thrombi formed in either arteries or veins often cause occlusion in the vascular system and prevent blood flow. Obstruc to the blood vessel usually occurs at the site where the thrombi deposit. tion Furthermore, thrombi may break loose, travel through the circulating blood stream, and cause obstruction at some distal point of narrowing elsewhere. The mass or thrombus that moves is referred to as an "embolus." The two phenomena are lumped together under the term thromboembolic disease. Thrombosis that reduces blood supply to the heart is the primary factor in heart attacks.

The dream of developing a biocomputer should not be dismissed as a sheer fantasy. Although there is naturally some doubt as to whether it is possible to design a computer using carbon-based components as in living organisms, instead of silicon-based components as in existing computers, the fact that an average brain often outperforms the most sophisticated computer in terms of the complexity of tasks, if not in terms of speed, is a living testimony to this possibility. The remaining question is to what extent a biocomputer can mimic a living organism and whether it is possible to design and fabri cate such a biocomputer within the foreseeable future. This volume does not attempt to provide immediate and exact answers to these questions but instead attempts to provide a vision and a progress report of the initial efforts. This volume is mainly a collection of papers presented at the Symposium on Molecular Electronics - Biosensors and Biocomputers, sponsored by the Divi sion of Biotechnology, Health and Environment of the Fine Particle Society, held from July 19-22, 1989 at the Society's 19th Annual Meeting in Santa Clara, California. Also included are articles contributed by those who planned to attend the conference but were unable to do so. The emergence of the field of molecular electronics is largely the consequence of one person's crusade, that of Forrest L. Carter.

This comprehensive work discusses novel biomolecular surfaces that have been engineered to either control or measure cell function at the atomic, molecular, and cellular levels. Each chapter presents real results, concepts, and expert perspectives of how cells interact with biomolecular surfaces, with particular emphasis on interactions within complex mechanical environments such as in the cardiovascular system. In addition, the book provides detailed coverage of inflammation and cellular immune response as a useful model for how engineering concepts and tools may be effectively applied to complex systems in biomedicine.-Accessible to biologists looking for new ways to model their results and engineers interested in biomedical applications -Useful to researchers in biomaterials, inflammation, and vascular biology -Excellent resource for graduate students as a textbook in cell & tissue engineering or cell mechanics courses