Mechanobiology and New Approach Methodologies: Multiscale Engineering Platforms for Human-Relevant Biology

Biomechanical engineering is undergoing a major shift toward a more integrated understanding of how physical forces govern living systems. Researchers across mechanical engineering, electrical systems, materials science, and biology are converging on a common set of questions: how do physical forces shape cell behavior, tissue structure, and disease? Biological systems do not merely deform under mechanical load, they sense physical stimuli, transduce them into biochemical and genetic signals, and remodel their structure and function over time. This active, adaptive response to force is the defining feature of mechanobiology — and it is increasingly recognized as a fundamental regulatory layer of living systems that must be incorporated into the next generation of biological research platforms.That next generation is already taking shape. New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) , encompassing organoids, organ-on-chip platforms, microphysiological systems, and in silico modeling, are reshaping how disease is modeled and how biological questions are asked, driven by a global shift away from animal testing toward human-relevant, predictive systems. Mechanobiology is central to this transition and currently underrepresented within it: the physiological relevance of any NAM is strengthened by its ability to recapitulate both the biochemical and mechanical environment of living tissue. Recent advances in nano and microfabrication, microfluidics, additive manufacturing, and computational modeling have created the tools to embed this understanding into NAMs platforms with quantitative precision, moving from observational biology toward experimentally controllable, clinically translatable systems. This collection advances that transfer, uniting cellular science, engineering platforms, and translational strategies in service of the next generation of human-relevant biological systems.Aim and ScopeThis Research Topic welcomes submissions that contribute to the transfer of mechanobiological knowledge and engineering tools into New Approach Methodologies, regenerative medicine, and clinically relevant biological systems. The guiding thread is not the technology alone it is the biological question it enables us to answer and the clinical need it enables us to address.We welcome studies that:• Investigate cellular and tissue responses to mechanical stimuli, including cytoskeletal dynamics, nuclear mechanotransduction, and cell fate decisions that inform the biological design of NAMs platforms• Design, fabricate, and validate MEMS/NEMS and micro-nanoscale platforms that apply defined stimuli to biological systems and measure the response• Develop organoid systems, biomaterial scaffolds, and 3D-printed constructs that incorporate mechanical cues into physiologically relevant microenvironments• Apply New Approach Methodologies to mechanobiological questions, including microphysiological systems, organ-on-chip platforms, and human-relevant in vitro disease models• Model multiscale mechanical behavior computationally, bridging molecular-scale mechanics with tissue-level and organ-level outcomes• Translate mechanobiological and NAMs insights into clinically relevant technologies including mechanosensitive diagnostics, adaptive implants, and mechanobiology-informed regenerative strategiesTopics of Interest• Mechanobiological regulation of cell behavior under engineered mechanical stimuli, including cytoskeletal dynamics, nuclear mechanotransduction, and lineage commitment• MEMS/NEMS-enabled platforms for mechanosensing, tissue stimulation, biosensing, and lab-on-chip applications• New Approach Methodologies (NAMs) including microphysiological systems, organ-on-chip platforms, and human-relevant in vitro models that integrate mechanobiological principles for preclinical translation• Fluid-structure interactions in tissue engineering, microfluidic bioreactors, and biological flows including vascular, airway, and lymphatic systems• Hybrid bio-synthetic systems that couple living components with engineered materials for adaptive and responsive functionality• Computational modeling and simulation of biological mechanics, from molecular-scale dynamics to tissue and organ-level deformation• Mechanically active biomaterials and scaffold systems that incorporate physical cues to direct cell fate, support tissue regeneration, and enable NAMs-compatible biological microenvironments Topic editors: Naga Rama Mani Manohar Prasad Koduri Veera Venkata, Noor Al-Maslamani, Mangesh Kulkarni Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/74965/mechanobiology-and-new-approach-methodologies-multiscale-engineering-platforms-for-human-relevant-biology