Welcome to the Institute for Mechanobiology (IfM) at Northeastern University.
Mechanobiology is an interdisciplinary field that studies the fundamental mechanical basis of biology and how biomolecules, genes, proteins, cells, tissues, and organisms sense, respond to, interact with, control, and regulate mechanical cues and forces and integrate mechanical signals with chemical and electrical signals into biological processes, behaviors, and functions.
Despite huge advances in traditional fields and disciplines, many complex deadly diseases and major health problems remain intractable. Mechanobiology is regarded as “a missing science” for effective treatment/therapeutics/prevention in medicine and health. Over the last few decades, mechanobiology-based discovery and technology have fundamentally changed our understanding of biology and diseases.
At Northeastern, our motivated faculty at IfM, with novel ideas and an inclusive culture, has unique expertise and technology across length scales from biomolecules to the human body. Our mission is to accelerate dissemination of mechanobiology discovery/technology to advance medicine and enhance human health. The IfM focuses on mechanomedicine (mechanobiology-based medicine) and mechanohealth (mechanobiology-based health) and discovers the root causes of pathologies with mechanobiological etiologies that negatively affect quality of life and to pursue mechanotherapeutics that restore function, reduce illness and disability, and slow progression of diseases and retard and reverse deterioration of health with age. Our goal is to build a premier global hub that develops new strategies and methodologies to solve pressing health problems.
We welcome scientists, engineers, clinicians, and researchers around the globe to join us in this exciting journey. We also welcome like-minded people and interested parties to follow our progress and invest in the endeavor on the life of force at Northeastern.
Ning Wang, ScD
Founding Director, Institute for Mechanobiology
Professor, Bioengineering