Biomechanics at the cellular level. The ALZA distinguished lecture

The mechanical behavior of individual cells presents a variety of problems of interest in many different biologic phenomena. The rheology of single red blood cells is well developed, and passive properties of leukocytes and endothelial cells are currently being explored. Dynamic aspects of single-cell mechanics, including growth, cell division, active motion, contractile mechanisms, phagocytosis, and locomotion, offer many challenging aspects to be analyzed. Transduction mechanisms of neurosensory cells and mechanical stresses and damage of neural structures are relatively unexplored.