Molecular and Cellular Biophysics provides advanced undergraduate and graduate students with a foundation in the basic concepts of biophysics. Students who have taken physical chemistry and calculus courses will find this book an accessible and valuable aid in learning how these concepts can be used in biological research. The text provides a rigorous treatment of the fundamental theories in biophysics and illustrates their application with examples. Conformational transitions of proteins are studied first using thermodynamics, and subsequently with kinetics. Allosteric theory is developed as the synthesis of conformational transitions and association reactions. Basic ideas of thermodynamics and kinetics are applied to topics such as protein folding, enzyme catalysis and ion channel permeation. These concepts are then used as the building blocks in a treatment of membrane excitability. Through these examples, students will gain an understanding of the general importance and broad applicability of biophysical principles to biological problems.

From quantum theory to statistical mechanics, the methodologies of physics are often used to explain some of life's most complex biological problems. Exploring this challenging yet fascinating area of study, Molecular and Cellular Biophysics covers both molecular and cellular structures as well as the biophysical processes that occur in these structures. Designed for advanced undergraduate and beginning graduate students in biophysics courses, this textbook features a quantitative approach that avoids being too abstract in its presentation. Logically organized from small-scale (molecular) to large-scale (cellular) systems, the text first defines life, discussing the scientific controversies between mechanists and vitalists, the characteristics of living things, and the evolution of life. It then delves into molecular structures, including nucleic acids, DNA, RNA, interatomic interactions, and hydrogen bonds. After looking at these smaller systems, the author probes the larger cellular structures. He examines the cytoplasm, the cytoskeleton, chromosomes, mitochondria, motor proteins, and more. The book concludes with discussions on biophysical processes, including oxidative phosphorylation, diffusion, bioenergetics, conformational transitions in proteins, vesicle transport, subcellular structure formation, and cell division.

Biophysics represents perhaps one of the best examples of interdisciplinary research areas, where concepts and methods from disciplines such as physics, biology, b- chemistry, colloid chemistry, and physiology are integrated. It is by no means a new ?eld of study and has actually been around, initially as quantitative physiology and partly as colloid science, for over a hundred years. For a long time, biophysics has been taught and practiced as a research discipline mostly in medical schools and life sciences departments, and excellent biophysics textbooks have been published that are targeted at a biologically literate audience. With a few exceptions, it is only relatively recently that biophysics has started to be recognized as a physical science and integrated into physics departments’ curr- ula, sometimes under the new name of biological physics. In this period of cryst- lization and possible rede?nition of biophysics, there still exists some uncertainty as to what biophysics might actually represent. A particular tendency among phy- cists is to associate biophysics research with the development of powerful new te- niques that should eventually be used not by physicists to study physical processes in living matter, but by biologists in their biological investigations. There is value in that judgment, and excellent books have been published that introduce the int- ested reader to the use of physical principles for the development of new methods of investigation in life sciences.

This book focuses on the mechanical properties of cells, discussing the basic concepts and processes in the fields of immunology, biology, and biochemistry. It introduces and explains state-of-the-art biophysical methods and examines the role of mechanical properties in the cell/protein interaction with the connective tissue microenvironment. The book presents a unique perspective on cellular mechanics and biophysics by combining the mechanical, biological, physical, biochemical, medical, and immunological views, highlighting the importance of the mechanical properties of cells and biophysical measurement methods. The book guides readers through the complex and growing field of cellular mechanics and biophysics, connecting and discussing research findings from different fields such as biology, cell biology, immunology, physics, and medicine. Featuring suggestions for further reading throughout and addressing a wide selection of biophysical topics, this book is an indispensable guide for graduate and advanced undergraduate students in the fields of cellular mechanics and biophysics.

"Advances in Cell Mechanics" presents the latest developments in cell mechanics and biophysics, mainly focusing on interdisciplinary research in cell biology and the biophysics of cells. Moreover, a unique feature of the book is its emphasis on the molecular and complex continuum modeling and simulations of the cells. It may be the first work that brings rigorous and quantitative scientific analysis and state-of-the-art simulation technology into cell biology research. The book is intended for researchers and graduate students working in the fields of molecular cell biology, bio-engineering and bio-mechanics, soft matter physics, computational mechanics, bio-chemistry and bio-medicine. All contributors are leading scholars in their respective fields. Dr. Shaofan Li is a professor and an expert for computational mechanics at the University of California-Berkeley, USA; Dr. Bohua Sun is a professor at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa.

Recent advances in single molecule science have presented a new branch of science: single molecule cellular biophysics, combining classical cell biology with cutting-edge single molecule biophysics. This textbook explains the essential elements of this new discipline, from the state-of-the-art single molecule techniques to real-world applications in unravelling the inner workings of the cell. Every effort has been made to ensure the text can be easily understood by students from both the physical and life sciences. Mathematical derivations are kept to a minimum whilst unnecessary biological terminology is avoided and text boxes provide readers from either background with additional information. 100 end-of-chapter exercises are divided into those aimed at physical sciences students, those aimed at life science students and those that can be tackled by students from both disciplines. The use of case studies and real research examples make this textbook indispensable for undergraduate students entering this exciting field.

A keyword listing of serial titles currently received by the National Library of Medicine.

Molecular and Cellular Biophysics provides advanced undergraduate and graduate students with a foundation in the basic concepts of biophysics. Students who have taken physical chemistry and calculus courses will find this book an accessible and valuable aid in learning how these concepts can be used in biological research. The text provides a rigorous treatment of the fundamental theories in biophysics and illustrates their application with examples. Conformational transitions of proteins are studied first using thermodynamics, and subsequently with kinetics. Allosteric theory is developed as the synthesis of conformational transitions and association reactions. Basic ideas of thermodynamics and kinetics are applied to topics such as protein folding, enzyme catalysis and ion channel permeation. These concepts are then used as the building blocks in a treatment of membrane excitability. Through these examples, students will gain an understanding of the general importance and broad applicability of biophysical principles to biological problems.