Overview

 

The mechanical behavior of tissue is an important functional aspect of many different types of connective tissues.  As with all materials, this behavior is critically dependent on material structure.  The goal of research in the Biomechanics Laboratory at USC is improved measurement and multiscale modeling of the mechanical behavior of tissue, with a particular focus on mechanics-mediated growth.

 

Current projects

 

Experimental biomechanics:

• Delineating the effects of stiffness and strain on cell function

• Noninvasive strain imaging during tissue deformation

• Axially asymmetric indentation of anisotropic biomaterials

• Structure/function of developing chordae tendinae

• Mechanobiology in myocyte/fibroblast/matrix systems

 

Analytical/computational biomechanics:

• Continuum, structural soft tissue constitutive modeling

• Multiscale computational modeling of mechanics-mediated tissue growth and remodeling

• Heterogeneous constitutive modeling

• Inverse techniques in computational biomechanics