Mechanobiology

3 credits · College of Engineering catalogue

Advisory Prerequisite: None. Enforced Prerequisite: Senior Standing and BIOMEDE 418 and BIOMEDE 419; or Graduate standing. Minimum grade requirement of “C” for enforced prerequisite. (3 credits) Adherent cells sense mechanical forces arising from their microenvironment (ie. mechanosensing) and convert these cues into biochemical signals that modulate cell behavior (ie. mechanotransduction). Students take a deep and historic dive into this topic through discussion of seminal works that have shaped the understanding of mechanosensing and mechanotransduction, and recent papers highlighting therapeutic approaches targeting mechanobiological processes.