Human skin is constantly exposed to environmental challenges and hence has to adapt to them. One
major challenge are mechanical forces, which have significant in
uence on cells residing in the human
skin. Through mechanosensitive channels hydrostatic as well as osmotic pressures, stress and wall shear
stresses are sensed and affect homeostasis and pathology [1]. Continuum models allow for quantifying the
averaged response of cells in the dermis, yet the true magnitude of forces arising highly depends on the
micro-structure of the specifc tissue. As can be seen in Figure 1 dermal cells are surrounded by a collagen
network which results in a highly localized response. This thesis aims at quantifying this response in detail.
Recently computational models have been developed, which represent cells in fibrous networks [2,3]. To-
gether with theoretical knowledge of cell matrix interaction [4] and recent experimental results [5,6] a
new field of computational models is arising. The so called computational system mechanobiology cover
dynamic processes on both, cell and tissue scale and thus allow for understanding the interplay between
these two mechanism.
[1] He et al., Mechanical stretch promotes hypertrophic scar formation through mechanically activated cation channel Piezo1, Cell Death
and Disease 12:226, 2021.
[2] Eichinger et al., A computational framework for modeling cell-matrix interactions in soft biological tissues, Biomechanics and Modeling
in Mechanobiology 20, 1851 - 1870, 2021.
[3] Eichinger et al., What do cells regulate in soft tissues on short time scales?, Acta Biomaterialia 134, 348 - 356, 2021.
[4] Irons et al., From Transcripts to Tissue: Multiscale Modeling from Cell Signaling to Matrix Remodeling Annals of Biomedical Engi-
neering 49, 1701 - 1715, 2021.
[5] Aragona et al., Mechanism of stretch mediated skin expansion at single-cell resolution, Nature 584, 268 - 273, 2020.
[6] Chaudhuri et al., Effects of extracellular matrix viscoelasticity on cellular behaviour, Nature 584, 535 - 546, 2020.
[7] Sree and B. Tepole, Computational systems mechanobiology of growth and remodeling: Integration of tissue mechanics and cell
regulatory network dynamics, Current Opinion on Biomedical Engineering 15, 75 - 80, 2020.
Human skin is constantly exposed to environmental challenges and hence has to adapt to them. One major challenge are mechanical forces, which have significant in uence on cells residing in the human skin. Through mechanosensitive channels hydrostatic as well as osmotic pressures, stress and wall shear stresses are sensed and affect homeostasis and pathology [1]. Continuum models allow for quantifying the averaged response of cells in the dermis, yet the true magnitude of forces arising highly depends on the micro-structure of the specifc tissue. As can be seen in Figure 1 dermal cells are surrounded by a collagen network which results in a highly localized response. This thesis aims at quantifying this response in detail.
Recently computational models have been developed, which represent cells in fibrous networks [2,3]. To- gether with theoretical knowledge of cell matrix interaction [4] and recent experimental results [5,6] a new field of computational models is arising. The so called computational system mechanobiology cover dynamic processes on both, cell and tissue scale and thus allow for understanding the interplay between these two mechanism.
[1] He et al., Mechanical stretch promotes hypertrophic scar formation through mechanically activated cation channel Piezo1, Cell Death and Disease 12:226, 2021. [2] Eichinger et al., A computational framework for modeling cell-matrix interactions in soft biological tissues, Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology 20, 1851 - 1870, 2021. [3] Eichinger et al., What do cells regulate in soft tissues on short time scales?, Acta Biomaterialia 134, 348 - 356, 2021. [4] Irons et al., From Transcripts to Tissue: Multiscale Modeling from Cell Signaling to Matrix Remodeling Annals of Biomedical Engi- neering 49, 1701 - 1715, 2021. [5] Aragona et al., Mechanism of stretch mediated skin expansion at single-cell resolution, Nature 584, 268 - 273, 2020. [6] Chaudhuri et al., Effects of extracellular matrix viscoelasticity on cellular behaviour, Nature 584, 535 - 546, 2020. [7] Sree and B. Tepole, Computational systems mechanobiology of growth and remodeling: Integration of tissue mechanics and cell regulatory network dynamics, Current Opinion on Biomedical Engineering 15, 75 - 80, 2020.
This master thesis aims at understanding the mechanobiology of dermal fibroblast and epidermal ker-
atinocytes in human skin. The work unifes computational as well as experimental aspects. On the
computational side existing continuum and fiber network models are combined and extended to be able
to characterize the forces acting on single cells. On the experimental side novel imaging techniques will
allow to understand true displacements of the collagen network and the cells therein and complement the
computational model. The new model is then used to understand the homeostasis of human skin cells. If
time remains the study is extended to understand growth and wound healing.
This master thesis aims at understanding the mechanobiology of dermal fibroblast and epidermal ker- atinocytes in human skin. The work unifes computational as well as experimental aspects. On the computational side existing continuum and fiber network models are combined and extended to be able to characterize the forces acting on single cells. On the experimental side novel imaging techniques will allow to understand true displacements of the collagen network and the cells therein and complement the computational model. The new model is then used to understand the homeostasis of human skin cells. If time remains the study is extended to understand growth and wound healing.