Mechanobiology
Encyclopedia
Mechanobiology is an emerging field of science at the interface of biology and engineering. It focuses on the way that physical forces and changes in cell or tissue mechanics contribute to development, physiology
, and disease. A major challenge in the field is understanding mechanotransduction
--the molecular mechanism by which cells sense and respond to mechanical signals.
While medicine has typically looked for the genetic basis of disease, advances in mechanobiology suggest that changes in cell mechanics, extracellular matrix
structure, or mechanotransduction may contribute to the development of many diseases, including atherosclerosis
, asthma
, osteoporosis
, heart failure, and cancer
. There is also a strong mechanical basis for many generalized medical disabilities, such as lower back pain and irritable bowel syndrome
.
The effectiveness of many of the mechanical therapies already in clinical use shows how important physical forces can be in physiological control. For example, pulmonary surfactant
promotes lung development in premature infants; modifying the tidal volumes of mechanical ventilators reduces morbidity and death in patients with acute lung injury; expandable stents physically prevent coronary artery constriction; tissue expanders increase the skin area available for reconstructive surgery ; and surgical tension application devices are used for bone fracture healing, orthodontics, cosmetic breast expansion and closure of non-healing wounds.
Insights into the mechanical basis of tissue regulation may also lead to development of improved medical devices, biomaterials, and engineered tissues for tissue repair and reconstruction.
Stretch-activated ion channels, caveolae
, integrins, cadherins, growth factor receptors, myosin motors, cytoskeletal filaments, nuclei, extracellular matrix, and numerous other molecular structures and signaling molecules have been shown to contribute to cellular mechanotransduction. In addition, endogenous
cell-generated traction forces contribute significantly to these responses by modulating tensional prestress within cells, tissues, and organs that govern their mechanical stability, as well as mechanical signal transmission from the macroscale to the nanoscale.
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
, and disease. A major challenge in the field is understanding mechanotransduction
Mechanotransduction
Mechanotransduction refers to the many mechanisms by which cells convert mechanical stimulus into chemical activity.- Tendon :The process of is explained for the lay-reader at http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/43/4/247.full- Ear :...
--the molecular mechanism by which cells sense and respond to mechanical signals.
While medicine has typically looked for the genetic basis of disease, advances in mechanobiology suggest that changes in cell mechanics, extracellular matrix
Extracellular matrix
In biology, the extracellular matrix is the extracellular part of animal tissue that usually provides structural support to the animal cells in addition to performing various other important functions. The extracellular matrix is the defining feature of connective tissue in animals.Extracellular...
structure, or mechanotransduction may contribute to the development of many diseases, including atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which an artery wall thickens as a result of the accumulation of fatty materials such as cholesterol...
, asthma
Asthma
Asthma is the common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and bronchospasm. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath...
, osteoporosis
Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a disease of bones that leads to an increased risk of fracture. In osteoporosis the bone mineral density is reduced, bone microarchitecture is deteriorating, and the amount and variety of proteins in bone is altered...
, heart failure, and cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
. There is also a strong mechanical basis for many generalized medical disabilities, such as lower back pain and irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome is a diagnosis of exclusion. It is a functional bowel disorder characterized by chronic abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, and alteration of bowel habits in the absence of any detectable organic cause. In some cases, the symptoms are relieved by bowel movements...
.
The effectiveness of many of the mechanical therapies already in clinical use shows how important physical forces can be in physiological control. For example, pulmonary surfactant
Pulmonary surfactant
Pulmonary surfactant is a surface-active lipoprotein complex formed by type II alveolar cells. The proteins and lipids that surfactant comprises have both a hydrophilic region and a hydrophobic region...
promotes lung development in premature infants; modifying the tidal volumes of mechanical ventilators reduces morbidity and death in patients with acute lung injury; expandable stents physically prevent coronary artery constriction; tissue expanders increase the skin area available for reconstructive surgery ; and surgical tension application devices are used for bone fracture healing, orthodontics, cosmetic breast expansion and closure of non-healing wounds.
Insights into the mechanical basis of tissue regulation may also lead to development of improved medical devices, biomaterials, and engineered tissues for tissue repair and reconstruction.
Stretch-activated ion channels, caveolae
Caveolae
In biology, caveolae , which are a special type of lipid raft, are small invaginations of the plasma membrane in many vertebrate cell types, especially in endothelial cells and adipocytes....
, integrins, cadherins, growth factor receptors, myosin motors, cytoskeletal filaments, nuclei, extracellular matrix, and numerous other molecular structures and signaling molecules have been shown to contribute to cellular mechanotransduction. In addition, endogenous
Endogenous
Endogenous substances are those that originate from within an organism, tissue, or cell. Endogenous retroviruses are caused by ancient infections of germ cells in humans, mammals and other vertebrates...
cell-generated traction forces contribute significantly to these responses by modulating tensional prestress within cells, tissues, and organs that govern their mechanical stability, as well as mechanical signal transmission from the macroscale to the nanoscale.
External links
- Donald Ingber at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University
- Donald Ingber lab at Children’s Hospital Boston
- Michael P. Sheetz at Columbia University
- Martin A. Schwartz at University of Virginia
- Benjamin Geiger lab at the Weitzmann Institute
- Ning Wang at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Christopher S. Chen lab at University of Pennsylvania
- Dennis Discher lab at University of Pennsylvania
- Paul Janmey lab at University of Pennsylvania
- Roger D. Kamm, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Ellen Kuhl, Stanford University
- Mechanobiology Lab at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
- Cellular Mechanobiology Lab at Penn State
- Charles H. Turner at Indiana University
- Mechanobiology Institute (MBI)
- Merryman Mechanobiology Lab at Vanderbilt University