Biomechanical Characterization of Human Soft Tissues Using Indentation and Tensile TestingMichelle Griffin 1, Yaami Premakumar 2, Alexander Seifalian 1, Peter Edward Butler 1,3, Matthew Szarko 2
1Division of Surgery & Interventional Science, University College London (UCL), 2Anatomy Department, St Georges University, 3Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Department, Royal Free Hospital
Tissue biomechanics is important for maintaining cell shape and function and for determining phenotype. This report demonstrates non-destructive mechanical protocols for characterizing elastic and viscoelastic properties of human soft tissues, which can be directly applied to tissue-engineered substrates to allow a close matching of engineered materials to native tissue.
