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This book is dedicated to the discussion of several biomedical applications of the mechanical phenotyping of cells and tissues to specific disease models. The topical chapters on mechanics in disease are preceded by chapters describing cell and tissue structure and their relationship with the biomechanical properties, as well as by the description of dedicated sample preparation methods for the nano- and microscale mechanical measurements.
About the author
__Alessandro Podestà (AP) holds a PhD in Materials Science and since 2015 he is associate professor at the Department of Physics "Aldo Pontremoli" of the University of Milano, Italy. AP has published about 100 papers on international peer-reviewed journals (H-index 30, complete bibliographic record with metrics at: https://www.webofscience.com/wos/author/rid/E-6568-2010; ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4169-6679). In 2012 AP obtained the National Academic Qualification (ASN) to apply for Full Professor positions in Experimental Physics of Matter (02/B1).
Since 1999, AP is active in the field of characterization of physical and chemical properties of systems and interfaces at the nanoscale by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) techniques. AP leads the AFM group of the Interdisciplinary Centre for Nanostructured Materials and Interfaces (CIMaINa) of Università degli Studi di Milano. The research activity of the AFM laboratory developed over the years under the guidance of AP since its foundation in 1999, along two parallel but strongly interconnected tracks: the development of experimental techniques and protocols based on atomic force microscopy, and the application of such protocols to the study of nanostructured systems and interfaces. The synergistic combination of research and development activities related to atomic force microscopy has always characterized the scientific approach of AP within the Physics Department and CIMAINA @UNIMI; this expertise has been enhanced at European and international level in funded research projects and in commissioned research activities.
The main activities of AP are the following:
1. Development of Atomic Force Microscopy techniques for the study of systems and interfaces at the nanoscale: metrology of nanometer-sized objects (proteins and nanoparticles); nanomechanical characterization of soft matter systems; force spectroscopy; production and calibration of AFM probes.
2. Study of structural/configurational properties of cells, biomolecules (DNA, proteins) and their complexes; study of early cytotoxic interactions of ionic liquids and molecules in reconstituted lipid bilayers and biomembranes; study of the cell-microenvironment interaction: mechanobiology of cells, tissues and extracellular matrices in health and disease.
3. Study of nanostructured interfaces and inorganic systems: evolution of surface morphology, wettability, electric properties of thin nanostructured films; interfacial properties of thin ionic liquids films supported on solid surfaces.
AP is the coordinator of the MSCA-ITN training and research network Phys2BioMed (www.phys2biomed.eu), dedicated to the development of diagnostic approaches based on the quantitative study of the biomechanical properties of cells and tissues. AP is member of the Academic Board of the PhD school in Physics, Astrophysics and Applied Physics of the University of Milan. AP supervises BSc, MSc and PhD students' as well as post-doc research projects.
