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SUMMARY:The mechanical phase transition organizing cartilage shear mechani
 cs and function. - Itai Cohen (Cornell University)
DTSTART:20230907T144000Z
DTEND:20230907T152000Z
UID:TALK203887@talks.cam.ac.uk
DESCRIPTION:Articular cartilage is a remarkable material able to sustain m
 illions of loading cycles over decades of use outperforming any synthetic 
 substitute. Crucially\, how extracellular matrix constituents alter mechan
 ical performance\, particularly in shear\, remains poorly understood. I wi
 ll present experiments and theory in support of a rigidity percolation fra
 mework that quantitatively describes the structural origins of cartilage&r
 squo\;s shear properties and how they arise from the mechanical interdepen
 dence of the collagen and aggrecan networks making up its extracellular ma
 trix. This framework explains that near the cartilage surface\, where the 
 collagen network is sparse and close to the rigidity threshold\, slight ch
 anges in either collagen or aggrecan concentrations\, common in early stag
 es of cartilage disease\, create a marked weakening in modulus that can le
 ad to tissue collapse. More broadly\, this framework provides a map for un
 derstanding how changes in composition throughout the tissue alter its she
 ar properties and ultimate in vivo function.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 1\, Newton Institute
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