Cell-Matrix Mechanics
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this advanced course on how mechanical forces shape cell behavior. It covers how cells generate contractile forces, how external strains affect cellular processes, and how the extracellular matrix, which cells synthesize and continuously remodel, mediates those mechanical signals. The material sits at the intersection of mechanical engineering and health sciences and technology, drawing on continuum mechanics, cell biology, and tissue engineering to explain phenomena like mechanotransduction and matrix remodeling. Course materials include lecture notes, readings, and problem sets as published on MIT OpenCourseWare, free to access with no certificate offered. The course suits students with a background in mechanics or cell biology who want to understand how physical forces and biological signaling interact within tissues.