Molecular, Cellular, and Tissue Biomechanics

As taught in: Fall 2006

Diagram of cellular tissue.

The focal adhesion complex. (Figure by MIT OpenCourseWare.)

Instructors:

Prof. Matthew Lang

Prof. Roger D. Kamm

MIT Course Number:

2.797J / 3.053J / 6.024J / 20.310J

Level:

Undergraduate

Course Features

Course Description

This course develops and applies scaling laws and the methods of continuum mechanics to biomechanical phenomena over a range of length scales. Topics include structure of tissues and the molecular basis for macroscopic properties; chemical and electrical effects on mechanical behavior; cell mechanics, motility and adhesion; biomembranes; biomolecular mechanics and molecular motors. The class also examines experimental methods for probing structures at the tissue, cellular, and molecular levels.