Abstract :
The mechanical properties of biological materials
have been the focal point of extensive studies over the past
decades, leading to formation of a new research field that
intimately connects biology, chemistry and materials science.
Significant advances have been made in many disciplines
and research areas, ranging throughout a variety of
material scales, from atomistic, molecular up to continuum
scales. Experimental studies are now carried out with
molecular precision, including investigations of how
molecular defects such as protein mutations or protein
knockout influence larger length- and time-scales. Simulation
studies of biologicalmaterials now range from electronic
structure calculations of DNA, molecular simulations of
proteins and biomolecules like actin and tubulin to continuumtheories
of bone and collagenous tissues. The integration
of predictive numerical studies with experimental methods
represents a new frontier in materials research. The field is at
a turning point when major breakthroughs in the understanding,
synthesis, control and analysis of complex biological
systems emerge. Here we provide a brief perspective of
the state of this field and outline new research directions.
