GoingToMeet

Mechanics plays an important function in biology at every length scale. On the molecular level, mechanical properties of DNA play an essential role in gene regulation, recombination, and duplication, while protein and RNA deformability influences many biological processes. The mechanics of membranes, microtubules, and filaments is key to the healthy life of a cell. On cellular level, the cytoskeleton remodeling is a vital function of living cells, and variation of mechanical response in the cells is used to detect cell dysfunction. Cell mobility is an essential mechanical component of wound healing mechanisms. At the tissue level, the failures in the response of tissues to stress are at the core of many injuries and diseases, such as bone fractures, aneurysms, etc.

The goal of the meeting is to facilitate interaction between experts in experimental study of biomaterials on one hand and mathematical modeling and nonlinear continuum mechanics on the other. This interaction will promote the exchange of ideas while enabling new interdisciplinary collaborations that will advance understanding of the role of mechanics in biology. Particular emphasis will be placed on characterizing the response of biomaterials at the continuum level within the framework of finite elasticity and related theories, and the development of new theories of mechanics of living matter accounting for growth, aging, and adaptation.