Biomechanical and Mechanobiological Approaches for Tissue Models

Dear Colleagues,

Mechanical cues form the basis of several key events in the body from conception to old age. All cells and tissues are mechanically stimulated with varying ranges and types of forces. The biomechanics of the tissue plays an important role in supporting cell activity as changes in the microenvironment have a significant impact on their response. One example is that with aging, and in some pathologies such as type 2 diabetes, the bone matrix and cell microenvironment are altered with changes in cross-linking and mechanical properties. Recent studies in biomechanics have contributed to our understanding of mechanobiology. Mechanosensitive processes govern both tissue homeostasis and disease. In response to the surrounding extracellular matrix, mechanosensors govern cell activity. In addition, cell signaling occurs independent of mechanical loading through the transport of cytokines. Thus, biomechanics, in the context of tissue health, cannot be considered in isolation of mechanobiology.

Biomechanics and mechanobiology cover a myriad of topics including, but not limited to, a basic understanding of healthy tissue, the etiology of diseased tissue, the exploration of tissue–biomaterial interactions in disease treatment options, and in vitro and ex vivo tissue engineering model systems providing controlled systems for the study of healthy and pathological tissue. Recent 3D biofabrication approaches provide another possibility for the development of tissue model systems with, for example, microfluidic systems. Loading bioreactor systems facilitate the explanation of mechanobiological effects in health and disease. Furthermore, the increasing complexity of computational modeling of cell–biomaterial interactions allows the analysis of engineered tissue.

This Special Issue aims to provide an up-to-date summary of the multifaceted interaction between biomechanics and mechanobiology of tissue in health and disease, emphasizing original articles across all levels from cellular level to tissue level to system level. Topics that authors are invited to submit articles on include, but are not limited to the following:

• Healthy, aging, and diseased models;
• Complex 3D in vitro systems and microfluidics;
• Ex vivo culture of healthy and diseased tissue;
• Organoid models of tissue;
• Proof of concept studies and negative results;
• All model of diseases: cancer, defects, musculoskeletal diseases, cardiovascular pathologies.

Dr. Jessica Schiavi-Tritz, Dr. Syeda Masooma Naqvi and Dr. Natalia de Isla
Guest Editors

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