Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical and Biological Materials (Seminar)

Jones Seminar on Science, Technology, and Society.
"Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical and Biological Materials: From Breast Cancer
Detection to Vascular Embolization."
Jingjie Hu, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Mayo Clinic.
October 9, 2020

Biomedical and biological materials are usually complex structures consisting of
multiple components. The mechanical interactions between the different components in these
structures govern their critical behaviors and performance. However, the underlying
mechanics controlling these processes are not fully understood. My research contributes to
this understanding by integrating mechanical and materials engineering principles in the
design, fabrication and characterization of biomedical related structures for healthcare
applications, including cancer detection and vascular embolization.

The first part of the talk
will present a combined experimental and theoretical study of nanoparticle targeting,
and the use of cell mechanics in breast cancer detection. First, the key role of adhesion
is presented to provide new insights for the development of targeted nanoparticles for
detection of cancer. Combined thermodynamics and kinetics concepts are used to predict
nanoparticle entry process. The predictions from the models are shown to be in agreement
with experimental measurements of adhesion and in vitro/in vivo observations of
nanoparticle entry into normal/tumor cells and tissues.

Next, the use of cell mechanics is
explored in the development of mechanical biomarkers for the detection of breast cancer
outside the body. This involves the shear deformation of single normal/tumor cells that is
subjected to the laminar flow in a fluidic chamber, and the use of digital image correlation
(DIC) to determine the strain variations within the cells. The results show that there are
significant differences in cell viscoelastic properties in normal/tumor breast cells at
different stages of tumor progression. The second part of the talk will introduce the
biohybrid design of a tissue-derived nanocomposite for vascular embolization. A
decellularized extracellular matrix-based nanocomposite is developed to provide
outstanding mechanical stability, transcatheter injectability, antibacterial properties, and
biological activity to prevent recanalization, shown in a porcine survival model of
embolization. The implications of this is then discussed for the design of
multifunctional biomedical related materials and devices.