| This volume consists of Lecture Notes based on lectures delivered at the Advanced School on "Biomechanical Modelling at the Molecular, Cellular and Tissue Levels" held at the International Centre for Mechanical Sciences (CISM) in Udine, Italy, in the period September 11-15, 2006. The course was presented by 6 lecturers, 2 from Europe, 3 from the USA and 1 from New Zealand, and was attended by more than 100 participants from 23 countries.
The mechanics of biological structures at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels is a multidisciplinary area of research that is expanding rapidly and brings together researchers in biology, medicine, engineering, physics, chemistry, materials science and applied mathematics. Against this background, the aim of the course was to present a state-of-the-art overview of biomechanical modelling at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels, with particular reference to nanostructures, cells, growth and remodelling, and the cardiovascular system, including experimental, continuum mechanical, computational and simulation aspects. This provides a rational basis for applications to, for example, (i) tissue engineering, which aims to identify the critical structural and mechanical requirements needed for each tissue construct, (ii) the design and development of implants, and (Hi) the improvement of diagnostics and therapeutical procedures that involve tissue mechanics. |