Smart mechanobiological systems using force-adaptive biomaterials
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Mechanobiology has emerged as a critical framework for understanding how physical forces regulate cell behavior, tissue homeostasis, regeneration, and disease progression. This review examines the development of smart mechanobiological systems, defined as force-responsive biomaterials that can sense, transmit, and adapt to dynamic mechanical cues in living tissues. First, the mechanobiological foundations relevant to material design are discussed, including tissue stiffness, viscoelasticity, stress relaxation, mechanotransduction pathways, and the role of dynamic microenvironments in repair and pathology. Next, major classes of engineered smart biomaterials are reviewed, with emphasis on mechanically responsive polymers, hydrogels, multifunctional materials, mechanoresponsive drug delivery systems, and programmable self-adaptive platforms. The review further summarizes applications in regenerative medicine, including wound healing, musculoskeletal repair, cardiovascular regeneration, neural repair, and stem-cell engineering, followed by disease-focused applications in fibrosis, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and chronic wounds. Across these contexts, smart materials are shown to offer advantages over passive systems by enabling spatiotemporal control, adaptive mechanical regulation, and improved therapeutic precision.
Source: Mechanobiology
Institutions: Jadavpur University, All India Institute of Medical Sciences
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Medicine
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7168270335