Cellular Mechanics and Biophysics (eBook)

This book focuses on the mechanical properties of cells, discussing the basic concepts and processes in the fields of immunology, biology, and biochemistry. It introduces and explains state-of-the-art biophysical methods and examines the role of mechanical properties in the cell/protein interaction with the connective tissue microenvironment. The book presents a unique perspective on cellular mechanics and biophysics by combining the mechanical, biological, physical, biochemical, medical, and immunological views, highlighting the importance of the mechanical properties of cells and biophysical measurement methods.

 The book guides readers through the complex and growing field of cellular mechanics and biophysics, connecting and discussing research findings from different fields such as biology, cell biology, immunology, physics, and medicine. Featuring suggestions for further reading throughout and addressing a wide selection of biophysical topics, this book is an indispensable guide for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in the fields of cellular mechanics and biophysics.

Claudia Tanja Mierke studied biology at the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany. She received her doctoral degree on the topic of human endothelial cell and mast cell cell-cell interactions in 2001 at the Medical School of Hanover. At the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg she performed her postdoctoral research at different institutes studying the inflammation of endothelial cells, as well as molecular and biophysical cancer research. In 2012 she was awarded her Habilitation in biophysics and is currently professor in the Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, as the head of Biological Physics Division at Leipzig University.

 She regularly teaches in cellular mechanics, biophysics and soft matter physics, where also her research is focused on. Claudia Tanja Mierke has published in international peer-reviewed leading journals in this field, including review articles and book chapters on physical-driven cancer research, as well as two books entitled 'Physics of Cancer, Volume 1 and 2' in 2018 (2nd Edition).