MIT Mechanical Engineering Course Encourages Students to Design with Biological Materials
MIT's Course 2.797/2.798: Molecular Cellular and Tissue Biomechanics delves into the crucial interplay between mechanics and biology, with a focus on biomechanics and mechanobiology. According to Ritu Raman, the Eugene Bell Career Development Professor of Tissue Engineering in the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering, these two fields may sound similar, but they are significantly distinct.
Biomechanics, Raman explains, primarily concerns the mechanical properties of biological materials. It encompasses the study of how living systems, such as tissues, organs, and biological structures, behave under various mechanical influences, including forces and deformation. This knowledge enables a fundamental understanding of a system's strength, elasticity, and mechanics.
On the other hand, mechanobiology zeroes in on how cells perceive and react to mechanical forces within their environment. It investigates cellular and molecular processes that mediate mechanical signaling, including the impact of mechanical cues on cell shape, gene expression, and tissue development. In essence, mechanobiology explores the relationship between physical forces and biological responses at a cellular and molecular level.
Raman and Peter So, professor of mechanical engineering, collaborate in teaching this course. So contends that it offers practical applications of basic theory, allowing for discussions on the importance of these fundamental concepts.
The course's curriculum is meticulously designed to provide students with both theoretical foundations of mechanics and hands-on laboratory experiences. This "build with biology" approach enables students to observe, in real-time, how cells respond to mechanical stimuli, bridging classic biomechanics with contemporary mechanobiology research.
- Students enrolled in MIT's Course 2.797/2.798 learn about the mechanical properties of biological materials, which is a key aspect of biomechanics.
- The course delves into mechanobiology, a field that examines how cells react to mechanical forces within their environments.
- Ritu Raman, Eugene Bell Career Development Professor of Tissue Engineering, and Peter So, professor of mechanical engineering, collaborate in teaching this course that bridges the gap between traditional biomechanics and contemporary mechanobiology research.
- The course curriculum offers students theoretical foundations of mechanics along with hands-on laboratory experiences that focus on health-and-wellness topics such as how cells respond to mechanical stimuli, particularly in relation to medical-conditions.
- Understanding the interplay between mechanics and biology, including biomechanics and mechanobiology, is crucial for advancing the fields of science, medicine, engineering, and technology.
