Dresden 2014 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 30: Biomaterials and Biopolymers I (joint CPP/BP)

BP 30.10: Invited Talk

Wednesday, April 2, 2014, 17:45–18:15, ZEU 222

Biopolymer Network Mechanics: Nonlinearity and Hierarchy. — •Cornelis Storm — Department of Applied Physics and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands.

Biological materials possess some remarkable mechanical properties. Cells and tissues can adjust, remodel, stiffen, soften, in some cases even pack up and leave when circumstances require action. Surprisingly, most systems that exhibit this stunningly complex response, such as the cytoskeleton inside cells and the extracellular matrix, share a common design: under a microscope, they are crosslinked, hierarchical networks of biological polymers. Even more surprisingly, many of the in vivo behaviors can be reproduced in vitro in reconstituted proteinaceous polymer gels. Many of these systems, most notably collagen, play a purely structural role in living organisms. In other words, their function is their mechanical response. Biopolymer networks are therefore particularly suited to begin to understand the complex relationship between structural design and functionality in living systems.

In this seminar, I will discuss our efforts to bridge the gap from microscopic structure to macroscopic mechanical response of such nonlinear systems using collagen as an example. Towards the end, I will discuss our first steps towards controlling the nonlinear mechanical properties of biomimetic synthetics.