Seminar 10th April 2013 2 p.m. University of Southampton B7/3rd floor
Causes and consequences of age-related tissue stiffening
Dr. Michael Sherratt
University of Manchester
- Categories
- Complex Systems, Quantitative Biology, Surface imaging, Visualisation
- Submitter
- Georges Limbert
Abstract: The mechanical properties of dynamic tissues such as skin, blood vessels and lungs are determined by the relative composition and architecture of key structural extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins including fibrillar collagens and elastic fibre components. Although it is apparent that loss of compliance in these tissues is a major contributor to age-related mortality, as a consequence of conditions such as heart failure and stroke, the principal molecular targets and causative mechanisms remain poorly defined.
About Michael Sherratt Dr Sherratt is a former AgeUk senior research fellow who currently lectures in molecular biochemistry and directs the BioAFM (atomic force microscopy) facility at the University of Manchester. In this seminar he will discuss whether: i) the causes of tissues stiffening are tissue- and species-invariant and ii) in situ micro-mechanical methodologies (nanoindentation, AFM and scanning acoustic microscopy) can be used to localise mechanical changes within both ageing tissues and tissue engineered constructs.