Mechanopathology of red blood cell diseases — Why mechanics matters

During the onset of a disease a cell may experience alterations in both the composition and organization of its cellular and molecular structures. These alterations may eventually lead to changes in its geometrical and mechanical properties such as cell size and shape, deformability and adhesion. As such, knowing how diseased cells respond to mechanical forces can reveal ways by which they differ from healthy ones. Here, we will present biomechanistic insights into red blood cell related diseases that manifest mechanical property changes and how they directly contribute to the pathophysiology of diseases. By conducting cell and molecular mechanics studies, not only can we elucidate changes in the structure-property-function relationship of diseased cells, we can also exploit the new knowledge gained to develop biomechanics based devices that may better detect and diagnose these diseases as well as help identify important biomechanical targets for possible therapeutic interventions.