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Courses » Introduction to Mechanobiology

Introduction to Mechanobiology

About the Course

Mechanobiology is an upcoming interdisciplinary field of science where concepts of mechanics, biology and engineering are combined to understand the basics of different cellular processes ranging from cell division to cell differentiation and death.

Important For Certification/Credit Transfer:

Weekly Assignments and Discussion Forum can be accessed ONLY by enrolling here

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Note: Content is Free!

All content including discussion forum and assignments, is free


Final Exam (in-person, invigilated, currently conducted in India) is mandatory for Certification and has INR Rs. 1100 as exam fee



Intended Audience

Biotech/Biosciences/Bioengineering/Physics/Mechanical Engineering/Chemical Engineering

Pre-requisites

BSc/B. Tech: Biotech/Biosciences/Bioengineering MSc/M.Tech: Biotech/Biosciences/Bioengineering

Industries that will recognize this course

Academic Institutes, Startups working in the area of tissue engineering


Core or Elective : 

Core

Is it a UG or a PG Course: 

UG



480 students have enrolled already!!

About the Instructor



Dr. Shamik Sen joined IIT Bombay in July 2010 as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering. Dr. Sen earned a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from Jadavpur University, Kolkata, and a M. Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Kanpur. He then completed his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from University of Pennsylvania, where he worked in the area of mechanobiology.

 He is currently working in the area of mechanobiology where he is integrating mechanics and biology for probing stem cell biology and cancer cell biology. He is combining experiments with simulations for addressing his research questions.


Course Plan

Week 1
Lecture 1: Need to study Mechanobiology
Lecture 2: Cell as a Tent, individual components
Lecture 3: Cell-ECM crosstalk
Lecture 4: ECM proteins: Collagen
Lecture 5: Measuring properties of collagen networks

Week 2
Lecture 6: Properties of collagen networks
Lecture 7: Rheology
Lecture 8: Rheology of biopolymer networks
Lecture 9: Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)
Lecture 10: Design of protein constructs for AFM

Week 3
Lecture 11: Protein unfolding using AFM
Lecture 12: Protein unfolding using AFM
Lecture 13: Focal adhesions: focal adhesion proteins
Lecture 14: Focal adhesion organization
Lecture 15: Focal adhesions: role of forces

Week 4
Lecture 16: Cytoskeleton: Actin
Lecture 17: Force-velocity relationships of actin networks
Lecture 18: Mesenchymal cell migration
Lecture 19: Actin dynamics during mesenchymal migration
Lecture 20: Actin dynamics during mesenchymal migration

Week 5
Lecture 21: Adhesion Independent Migration
Lecture 22: Adhesion Independent & Collective Cell Migration
Lecture 23: Collective Cell Migration
Lecture 24: Mechanobiology of Stem Cell Fate - I
Lecture 25: Mechanobiology of Stem Cell Fate - II

Week 6
Lecture 26: Mechanobiology of Stem Cell Fate - III
Lecture 27: Mechanobiology of Diseases: Cancer I
Lecture 28: Mechanobiology of Diseases: Cancer II
Lecture 29: Mechanobiology of Diseases: Cancer III
Lecture 30: Mechanobiology of Diseases: Atherosclerosis & Hypertension

Week 7
Lecture 31: Mechanobiology of Diseases: Muscular Dystrophy
Lecture 32: Nuclear Mechanotransduction: LINC complex
Lecture 33: Nuclear Mechanotransduction: LINC complex in cell migration
Lecture 34: Nuclear Mechanotransduction: Gene regulation
Lecture 35: Mechanical Forces & DNA damage

Week 8
Lecture 36: Techniques in Mechanobiology: Hydrogels
Lecture 37: Techniques in Mechanobiology: AFM
Lecture 38: Techniques in Mechanobiology: Traction Force Microscopy, Trypson Deadhesion
& Laser Ablation
Lecture 39: Techniques in Mechanobiology: Microfabrication
Lecture 40: Techniques in Mechanobiology: FRET

Suggested Reading

The course will rely a lot on research papers. The following books can be used as reference:

  1. Introduction to Cell mechanics and Mechanobiology, Christopher. R. Jacobs (Garland Science)
  2. Cellular and biomolecular mechanics and mechanobiology, Editors: Gefen, Amit (Springer)
CERTIFiCATION EXAM :
  • The exam is optional for a fee.
  • Date and Time of Exam: October 7, 2018 (Sunday): 
  • Time of Exams: Morning session 9am to 12 noon; Afternoon session: 2pm to 5pm.
  • Exam for this Course will be available in both morning & afternoon sessions.
  • Registration url: Announcements will be made when the registration form is open for registrations.
  • The online registration form has to be filled and the certification exam fee needs to be paid. More details will be made available when the exam registration form is published.
CERTIFICATE:
  • Final score will be calculated as : 25% assignment score + 75% final exam score
  • 25% assignment score is calculated as 25% of average of 8 weeks course: Best 6 out of 8 assignments
  • E-Certificate will be given to those who register and write the exam and score greater than or equal to 40% final score. Certificate will have your name, photograph and the score in the final exam with the breakup. It will have the logos of NPTEL and IIT Bombay. It will be e-verifiable at nptel.ac.in/noc.