This book bridges the gap between life sciences and physical sciences by providing several perspectives on cellular and molecular mechanics on a fundamental level. It begins with a general introduction to the scales and terms that are used in the field of cellular and molecular biomechanics and then moves from the molecular scale to the tissue scal

A comprehensive presentation of essential topics for biological engineers, focusing on the development and application of dynamic models of biomolecular and cellular phenomena. This book describes the fundamental molecular and cellular events responsible for biological function, develops models to study biomolecular and cellular phenomena, and shows, with examples, how models are applied in the design and interpretation of experiments on biological systems. Integrating molecular cell biology with quantitative engineering analysis and design, it is the first textbook to offer a comprehensive presentation of these essential topics for chemical and biological engineering. The book systematically develops the concepts necessary to understand and study complex biological phenomena, moving from the simplest elements at the smallest scale and progressively adding complexity at the cellular organizational level, focusing on experimental testing of mechanistic hypotheses. After introducing the motivations for formulation of mathematical rate process models in biology, the text goes on to cover such topics as noncovalent binding interactions; quantitative descriptions of the transient, steady state, and equilibrium interactions of proteins and their ligands; enzyme kinetics; gene expression and protein trafficking; network dynamics; quantitative descriptions of growth dynamics; coupled transport and reaction; and discrete stochastic processes. The textbook is intended for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in chemical engineering and bioengineering, and has been developed by the authors for classes they teach at MIT and the University of Minnesota.

Introductory Biomechanics is a new, integrated text written specifically for engineering students. It provides a broad overview of this important branch of the rapidly growing field of bioengineering. A wide selection of topics is presented, ranging from the mechanics of single cells to the dynamics of human movement. No prior biological knowledge is assumed and in each chapter, the relevant anatomy and physiology are first described. The biological system is then analyzed from a mechanical viewpoint by reducing it to its essential elements, using the laws of mechanics and then tying mechanical insights back to biological function. This integrated approach provides students with a deeper understanding of both the mechanics and the biology than from qualitative study alone. The text is supported by a wealth of illustrations, tables and examples, a large selection of suitable problems and hundreds of current references, making it an essential textbook for any biomechanics course.

The application of methodological approaches and mathematical formalisms proper to Physics and Engineering to investigate and describe biological processes and design biological structures has led to the development of many disciplines in the context of computational biology and biotechnology. The best known applicative domain is tissue engineering and its branches. Recent domains of interest are in the field of biophysics, e.g.: multiscale mechanics of biological membranes and films and filaments; multiscale mechanics of adhesion; biomolecular motors and force generation. Modern hypotheses, models, and tools are currently emerging and resulting from the convergence of the methods and phylosophycal apporaches of the different research areas and disciplines. All these emerging approaches share the purpose of disentangling the complexity of organisms, tissues, and cells and mimiking the function of living systems. The contributions presented in this book are current research highlights of six challenging and representative applicative domains of phyisical, engineering, and computational approaches in medicine and biology, i.e tissue engineering, modelling of molecular structures, cell mechanics and cell adhesión processes, cancer physics, and physico-chemical processes of metabolic interactions. Each chapter presents a compendium or a review of the original results achieved by authors in the last years. Furthermore, the book also wants to pinpoint the questions that are still open and that could propel the future research.

This book presents a full spectrum of views on current approaches to modeling cell mechanics. The authors come from the biophysics, bioengineering and physical chemistry communities and each joins the discussion with a unique perspective on biological systems. Consequently, the approaches range from finite element methods commonly used in continuum mechanics to models of the cytoskeleton as a cross-linked polymer network to models of glassy materials and gels. Studies reflect both the static, instantaneous nature of the structure, as well as its dynamic nature due to polymerization and the full array of biological processes. While it is unlikely that a single unifying approach will evolve from this diversity, it is the hope that a better appreciation of the various perspectives will lead to a highly coordinated approach to exploring the essential problems and better discussions among investigators with differing views.

The Problems Book helps students appreciate the ways in which experiments and simple calculations can lead to an understanding of how cells work by introducing the experimental foundation of cell and molecular biology. Each chapter reviews key terms, tests for understanding basic concepts, and poses research-based problems. The Problems Book has be