Fundamental studies in biology and medical research motivate investigations aimed at characterizing, understanding and modeling the mechanical behavior of biological membranes. Arterial walls, capsule of abdominal organs, amnion, eardrum, heart valve leaflets, skin are example of membranous tissue. Bio-membranes are essential constituents of biological cells. Bio-membranes inspire the development of synthetic materials and engineered tissues or implants with comparable mechanical performance (deformability, toughness) as the corresponding native tissues.
The themes to be addressed include: (i) continuum , fiber networks, multi-scale models, micromechanical or statistical approaches to fibers-matrix interaction; (ii) experimental techniques for mechanical characterization; (iii) methods for the visualization of microstructure and mechanisms of deformation.