Soft Tissue Biomechanics Lab
Welcome to the STBL!
We integrate tissue mechanics, cell and tissue culture, and advanced medical imaging to study how environmental factors influence musculoskeletal health, using experimental models and imaging-based tools to characterize mechanical function and degeneration.
Seeing Molecules Move?
Healthy cartilage depends on efficient transport of nutrients and molecules. Using contrast-enhanced CT, we measure how solutes diffuse through cartilage in living and laboratory systems. These measurements may enable early, noninvasive detection of cartilage degeneration before symptoms appear.
What Feels Meaty?
Food texture strongly influences enjoyment and acceptance. We study how the mechanical properties of plant-based meats shape human sensory perception. By linking material behavior to eating experience, we help design sustainable foods that feel satisfying while supporting human and planetary health.
Measuring Living Mechanics?
Medical images are often used to estimate tissue stiffness, but their accuracy must be validated. We combine imaging, experiments, and computational models to study soft tissue mechanics in the heart, blood vessels, and airways. This work strengthens confidence in imaging-based biomechanical measurements.
Light That Heals?
Cartilage injuries rarely heal on their own, often leading to pain and arthritis. We use light-activated bonding strategies to fuse cartilage implants directly to native tissue, enabling rapid and stable integration. This approach aims to restore mobility, improve joint repair outcomes, and reduce the need for invasive surgeries.
Seeing Strength?
The knee meniscus protects joints by distributing load and maintaining stability, yet subtle internal damage often goes undetected. We develop advanced MRI techniques to visualize and quantify the fibers that hold the meniscus together under physiological loading. Earlier detection could transform how meniscal injury and degeneration are diagnosed and monitored.
Standing Insight?
Joint tissues experience complex forces during everyday activities, but most imaging captures them at rest. We use weight-bearing CT to measure cartilage deformation in living joints during natural posture. This approach reveals how cartilage responds to load and helps identify early signs of degeneration.
Why Menisci Matter?
The meniscus is mechanically complex, with structure and composition varying across length scales. We link microscopic features to large-scale mechanical behavior in both healthy and diseased tissue. Understanding these relationships helps identify early mechanical markers of failure and guides the design of better repair and replacement therapies.
Growing Life in Orbit?
Long-term spaceflight challenges how tissues grow, heal, and regenerate. We are developing a compact mechanical bioreactor that applies realistic forces to stem cells in microgravity. This platform supports regenerative medicine in space while advancing tissue engineering technologies on Earth.
Undergraduate and Graduate Student Recruitment
The Soft Tissue Biomechanics Laboratory (STBL) is seeking motivated, curious, and creative undergraduate and graduate students to join our interdisciplinary team. We combine experimental and computational approaches to understand and model the mechanics and transport behavior of biological soft tissues in health and disease.