Effect of Microscopic Cellular Properties on Macroscopic Mechanical Behaviour

许多组织，如皮肤和肌肉，作为其生理的一部分，反复经历大的变形。尽管改变细胞中不同基因的表达是可能的，但关于分子活动如何在大范围内影响组织的机械性能的信息很少。相关因素包括单个细胞的机械特性、细胞之间如何相互作用以及细胞外基质形成组织。拟议的项目将包括实验、理论建模和分析，以研究影响活细胞和组织的力学行为的细胞、亚细胞和多细胞因素，特别是胚胎组织和培养的上皮细胞。将这些结合在一起，将允许在短时间或长时间尺度上观察和描述广泛的细胞和组织行为，包括大变形。将实施机械表征方法，并将特别注重数据分析和理论工作。预期的结果是建立数值方法来捕获和预测受机械扰动的组织的行为，并将其与生物物理和力学参数相关联，将单个细胞的行为和属性与宏观机械属性联系起来。

Many tissues, such as skin and muscles, repeatedly undergo large deformation as part of their physiology. Even though it is possible to alter the expression of different genes in a cell, there is very little information on how molecular activity affects the mechanical properties of tissues at large scales. Relevant factors include the mechanical properties of individual cells, how cells interact with each other and the extracellular matrix to form tissues. The project proposed will include experimentation, theoretical modelling and analysis to investigate the cellular, sub-cellular and multicellular factors that affect mechanical behaviour of living cells and tissues, with particular emphasis on embryonic tissues and cultured epithelia.Method-wise, the project will build upon various experimental mathematical and analysis techniques used by theresearch team of the supervisor. Bringing these together will allow the observation and description of a wide range of cell and tissue behaviour, including large deformations, and at short or long time scales. Mechanical characterization methods will be implemented and there will be particular focus on data analysis and theoretical work.The expected outcome is to establish numerical methods to capture and predict the behaviour of tissues subjected to mechanical perturbations and relate it to biophysical and mechanical parameters, linking individual cell behaviour and properties to macroscopic mechanical properties.