Mechanical forces play a decisive role during development of tissues and organs, during remodeling following injury as well as in normal function. A stress field influences cell function primarily through deformation of the extracellular matrix to which cells are attached. Deformed cells express different biosynthetic activity relative to undeformed cells. The unit cell process paradigm combined with topics in connective tissue mechanics form the basis for discussions of several topics from cell biology, physiology, and medicine.

In this lesson, students continue their education on cells in the human body. They discuss stem cells and how engineers are involved in the research of stem cell behavior. They learn about possible applications of stem cell research and associated technologies, such as fluorescent dyes for tracking the replication of specific cells.

This course introduces the basic driving forces for electric current, fluid flow, and mass transport, plus their application to a variety of biological systems. Basic mathematical and engineering tools will be introduced, in the context of biology and physiology. Various electrokinetic phenomena are also considered as an example of coupled nature of chemical-electro-mechanical driving forces. Applications include transport in biological tissues and across membranes, manipulation of cells and biomolecules, and microfluidics.

Although a great deal of emphasis of the course is on the structures of the organs and tissues, this is not a course based solely on pure microscopic descriptions. Lectures and laboratory sessions will focus on the integration of structures with functions, drawing from many disciplines (light/electron microscopy, cell biology, biochemistry, physiology etc.). Highlights of the course are its magnificently detailed collections of tissues as represented in the Circulatory Lecture.

In this teacher developed Design Challenge unit, students learn about the systems of the human body by creating a "museum exhibit" for their classroom. Download with the California State Science Standards.

In this teacher developed Design Challenge unit, students learn about the systems of the human body by creating a "museum exhibit" for their classroom. Download without the California State Science Standards.

In this course, the student will study microscopic anatomy. The course begins with an overview of basic cell structure follow by an explanation of how single cells come together to make up tissues. The student will then study each of the organ systems in the body, understanding how these tissues fit together structurally to form organs and organ systems that carry out specific functions. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: differentiate among the types of microscopy and describe the importance of microscopes in microscopic anatomy; correctly use the compound light microscope with a working knowledge of the function of each part; identify the organelles within a eukaryotic cell and list the basic function of each; compare and contrast meiosis and mitosis, identifying the steps of each in microscopic images; outline what makes each epithelial, connective, nervous, and muscle tissue unique, where each is found within the body, and how each interacts with other tissue types; point out circulatory system features, including intercalated disks and valves, as well as the differences among different vessel types; identify the cells found in blood and the role of each; define how the tissues and anatomical features that make up the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems come together structurally to support the function of these organ systems; identify the features of the epidermis and dermis of the skin, including the cells, layers, glands, and other features of each layer; explain how the structural arrangement of the lymphatic system and lymph node supports its physiological role of filtering; compare and contrast the structural arrangement of spongy and compact bone; map out the path of plasma filtrate as it moves through the neuron and into the ureter, bladder, and urethra, identifying what types of cells are located in each part; describe the basic structure of endocrine organs, including the reproductive organs; identify what features make special senses tissue unique. (Biology 406)

This courses focuses on the fundamentals of tissue and organ response to injury from a molecular and cellular perspective. There is a special emphasis on disease states that bridge infection, inflammation, immunity, and cancer. The systems approach to pathophysiology includes lectures, critical evaluation of recent scientific papers, and student projects and presentations. This term, we focus on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), chronic-active hepatitis, and hepatitis virus infections. In addition to lectures, students work in teams to critically evaluate and present primary scientific papers.

This figure from Human Genetics: Concepts and Applications by Ricki Lewis identifies techniques used to collect cells from fetuses for genetic testing.