Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of the Biomechanical Behavior of Macromolecular Structures

The proposed research aims to investigate in depth the biomechanical behavior of microtubules, which are macromolecular structures that are ubiquitous cytoskeletal elements in eukaryotic cells. Investigations will be carried out both experimentally and theoretically. Experiments will be conducted to understand the microstructure of microtubules and to investigate their responses under different loading conditions. These experimental data will be used to verify the numerical results at each stage. Theoretical work will be performed by developing an accurate continuum model that is applicable to atomistic-continuum simulations of microtubules. A mesh-free general computational framework embedded with an atomistic-continuum constitutive model will be developed for the numerical modeling and simulation. Using the developed computer code, the biomechanical behavior of microtubules will then be intensively studied. Through the experimental work and the experience gained in establishing an atomistic-continuum model for macromolecular structures, the proposed research is expected to result in a thorough unveiling and systematic comprehension of the biomechanical behavior of microtubules, and to provide useful information for the advancement of biomedicine.