Mechanobiology of Living Systems

Jonathan T. Butcher initiated a research program focused on understanding the roles of mechanical forces in shaping cardiovascular morphogenesis and adult disease with an emphasis on heart valves. Long term objectives to use developmental paradigms to discover novel disease paradigms and regenerative strategies. This research program focusses on the following three areas: Cardiovascular Developmental Mechanobiology; Developmental Paradigms in Postnatal Valve Disease; and Heart Valve Tissue Engineering.

Introduction. Molecular Mechanobiology. Mechanics of Adhesion and Signaling. Migration. Matrix Stiffness. Strain Based Mechanotransduction. Hemodynamics Based Signaling. Gravity. Mechanobiology of Growth and Remodeling. Mechanobiology of Plants. Mechanobiology in Lower Organisms. Mechanobiology of the Heart. Mechanobiology of the Skeletal System. Mechanobiology of Connective Tissue. Developmental Biomechanics. Other Applications to Draw Exercises From. Appendices. Solutions to Exercises.