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<h1><span style="color: #e9b757; font-size: 175%;">University of Notre Dame</span></h1>
<h1><span style="color: #e9b757; font-size: 150%;">Tissue Mechanics Laboratory</span></h1>
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The Tissue Mechanics Laboratory, along with other biomedical engineering research in the Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, moved to a new building in 2006. </span></p></td>
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<p>Research in the Tissue Mechanics Laboratory is currently focused on
bone mechanobiology, with an emphasis on how mechanical loading affects bone
marrow and osteocyte gene and protein expression.
Bone health issues, such as osteoporosis, are expected to
affect <a href="http://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/library/bonehealth"
target="_new">50% of Americans by the year 2010</a>.
We use bioreactor culture systems to apply controlled loading to bone
explants harvested from animals, and construct computational models to
determine the local stress or strain states. Mapping the mechanical
environment to the biological response provides a mechanism to understand
how bone or marrow cells respond to specific stress states. </p>
<p> We are using similar technology to help understand the interaction between
bone mechanobiology and metastatic cancer. Cancer preferentially metastasizes
to bone, and it is very difficult to detect the presence of cancer cells
in the bone marrow within the mineralized tissue. Moreover, cancer in the
bone environment may not respond to typical chemotherapies. We are trying to
understand how the interaction with the normal mechanobiology of bone might
affect the tumor biology. </p>
<p>The Tissue Mechanics Laboratory is part of the Department
of <a title="Department Web Page" href="http://www.nd.edu/~ame"
target="_top">Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering</a> at the University
of Notre Dame. The department has established a focused graduate research
group in the field of <a href="http://www.nd.edu/~amebio">biomechanics
and biomaterials</a> in orthopaedics. A weekly <a
href="http://www.nd.edu/~amebio/bioseminar/">bioengineering seminar
series</a> is presented by graduate students in the various research
groups within the department.</p>
<p>The Tissue Mechanics Laboratory is also associated with the <a href="http://hcri.nd.edu/">Harper Cancer Research Center</a>, which
provides resources for collaboration among biologists, physical scientists
and engineers on the Notre Dame campus. We are also associated with the Notre
Dame <a href="https://stemcell.nd.edu">Center for Stem Cells and
Regenerative Medicine</a>. The goal of this center is to provide a
scientific center for researchers at Notre Dame to pursue cell based
therapies that will affect human health. </p>
<p>For information on graduate study in the Department
of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, consult <a
href="https://ame.nd.edu/graduate-programs/program-information"> the graduate studies
site</a> or contact <a href="mailto:gniebur@nd.edu">Glen Niebur</a>.</p>
<h1>News</h1>
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<li> Congratulations to Kimeberly Curtis who completed her Ph.D. and is
now working for GE Healthcare in Utah.
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<td><strong><em><a href="http://bones.ame.nd.edu" target="_top" title="Tissue Mechanics Lab">Home</a></em></strong></td>
<td><strong><em><a href="research.html" target="main-frame" title="Current research areas">Research</a></em></strong></td>
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<td><strong><em><a href="students.html" target="main-frame" title="Prospective Student Information">Students</a></em></strong></td>
<td><strong><em><a href="http://bme.nd.edu" target="_top" title="Bioengineering Program">Bioengineering</a></em></strong></td>
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