Until the middle part of the twentieth century, biological research had tended to focus on the chemical basis of the functions of the biological systems. Professor Yuen-cheng Fung, widely regarded as the father of biomechanics, clearly established the importance of mechanics in biological functions. Biomechanics and mechanobiology are two related and complementary fields. In general, while biomechanics studies primarily the properties and behaviors of biological systems in response to mechanical forces, mechanobiology investigates the ways and mechanisms by which biological systems respond to mechanical forces for their functional regulation.
Mechanobiology is a multidisciplinary field that studies the mechanisms by which cells sense and respond to mechanical signals for the regulation of their biological functions such as development, proliferation, remodeling, movement and migration. The intracellular signal transduction involves molecular, genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that occur in the cell and the nucleus. Intercellular and inter-tissue interactions also involve mechanobiological processes and principles. Research on mechanobiology provides insights into tissue physiology in health and pathological alterations in disease. It offers new perspectives in constructing engineered tissues and organs, in repairing and regenerating damaged tissues, and also in providing therapeutic strategies for a variety of diseases. Therefore, mechanobiology is a fundamental discipline for science, engineering and medicine.
The peer-reviewed, online and open access journal Mechanobiology in Medicine has been developed to address the critical needs for advancing this important field. It will cover mechanobiology at organ, tissue, cellular, nuclear, molecular and genetic/epigenetic levels, including mechanosensing, mechanotransduction, and mechanoregulation in health and disease. The topics in this journal will include mechanobiology in biological processes such as development, morphogenesis, growth and remodeling, technologies such as biochips, biomaterials, biomarkers/targets and cell delivery, as well as clinical applications such as drug delivery, stem cell therapy and translational medicine. The articles in these areas will present up-to-date knowledge of the current state of the rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field of mechanobiology.
It is my strong belief that Mechanobiology in Medicine will achieve its aspiration to become a prominent publishing venue in mechanobiology by presenting the most important state-of-the-art advances in the field through topic-, disease- and technology-focused research articles, reviews and rapid communications. The journal will also enhance the visibility of mechanobiology through the publications of opinion and news articles.
The editorial board of MBM, chaired by Professor Kerong Dai, is composed of outstanding members with excellent expertise in the field of mechanobiology in biology, engineering and medicine. The Board and the editorial office will work together with the wonderful investigators in the field to advance the important field of mechanobiology, with the ultimate aim to enhance the health and wellbeing of people.
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as potential conflicts of interest.
