👉 Laboratory seats ar limited and this page allows you to pre-register and reserve your spot already now. Your registration will be active once the registration fee is paid at a later point, see below.

👉 see preliminary  course program (2024 course)

Introduction and Motivation. As biomechanical properties of tissues are tightly linked to pathologies, the description of mechanical tissue properties is instrumental to advance our understanding of disease development and progression. Pathology often manifests through the alteration of tissue mechanical properties long before clinical imaging modalities are able to see any structural or functional changes. Formed by cells embedded in the Extra Cellular Matrix (ECM), biological tissue exhibits intricate microstructural characteristics, factors that then govern its micro-mechanical and macro-mechanical properties. The analysis of how load (stress and strain) transmits across said scales and therefore stimulates cell function, is challenging and requires trustworthy biomechanical models. A plethora of mechanical testing has been reported, and, as no testing standards for biological tissue exist - individual laboratories implement individual protocols. A similar observation characterizes the design of biomechanical computational models.  Besides hindering the cross-comparison, low-quality experimental data as well as poor biomechanical models challenge the exploration of biological phenomena. In conclusion, the biomechanical community requires an educational program to develop a solid foundation in the analysis of biological tissues.  It is the proper integration of experimental tissue characterization and computational biomechanical analysis that guarantees progress in the field.

Course content and target group. The course introduces and applies state-of-the-art tools in the continuum mechanical analysis of hard and soft biological tissues. Regardless of numerous scientific meetings report the latest research results, they fail to communicate the basics of tissue biomechanics.  This course  therefore provides attendees with a broad foundation towards the mechanical description of biological tissues, allowing to address individual scientific endeavors more effectively. The course is designed for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers with a good background in bioengineering and solid mechanics. It integrates physical principles, numerical approaches, and experimental concepts towards the characterization of biological tissues. The program’s holistic approach is unique in the analysis of biological tissues.