Workshop: A Hands-On Summer School on Cell Mechanics for Engineers and Biologists; held Univ. of Illinois-Urbana; May 14-18, 2007

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There is increasing experimental evidence suggesting that extracellular and intracellular mechanical forces have a profound influence on a wide range of cell behavior such as growth, differentiation, and gene expression. The proposed summer course will highlight the current understanding on the processes by which cells transduce mechanical signals to functionality. Renowned experts in the field will deliver lectures in an instructional format (e.g., 1-hr lecture, 1-hr discussion) that cover both the basics and advanced knowledge. The lectures will be followed by hands-on lab experiments using nano scale devices that explore various aspects of cell mechano sensitivity. One highlight of the experiments will be to study cytoskeletal dynamics as cells grow on functionalized substrates with varying compliances. The workshop will offer a unique research and educational experience for the participants. They will be exposed to basics and advanced topics on cell and molecular biology, mechanics and thermodynamics, and molecular computations. Through the hands on experiments, participants will learn cell culture, advanced florescent microscopy including single molecule detection, application of nano scale sensors and devices and their fabrication. The participants from biological and physical sciences, and engineering will learn each others' trades and languages to foster further scientific interactions. The course materials, such as lecture notes and videos, laboratory hand-outs, video clips of key experimental steps, will be disseminated through the web. Hence, the summer school will have a long term impact on a broad audience from physical sciences and biology that are entering in the new interdisciplinary fields of research.