Graduate Courses BIOE 2065

BIOE 2065 - Introduction to Cell Mechanobiology

Instructor: James H-C. Wang, Ph.D.

Credits: 3

Term: Spring

Description: This course will provide an overview and a basic understanding of concepts/principles, methods, and research topics in the area of Cell Mechanobiology.

Prerequisites: Introductory engineering mechanics and cell biology/molecular biology are desired but not required.

Required Text: Hand-outs and reference materials/research articles

Recommended Books:

• Y.C. Fung, “A First Course in Continuum Mechanics”.
• Van C. Mow, Farshid Guilak, Roger Tran-Son-Tay, Robert M. Hochmuth, “Cell Mechanics and Cellular Engineering.”
• Bruce Alberts et al., “Molecular Biology of the Cell.” (The 4th edition)

Topics Covered: Fundamentals of mechanics, stress and strain, the "cell world" vs. "physical world", the basic chemistry of the cell, the macromolecules of the cells: nucleic acids and proteins, cell structure and function, from gene expression to protein synthesis, introduction to the immune response, effects of mechanical stretching on cells, mechanotransduction, cell and molecular techniques (cell/tissue culture, light microscopy, immunocytochemistry, southern/northern/western analysis, gene-chip, and protein-chip.)

Class/Laboratory Schedule: Twice a week for a total of 3 hours