メカノバイオロジーはどのようにして生まれたのか

Mechano-bioscience ～On the frontiers of mechano-biology and mechano-medicine～. Short history on the birth of mechanobiology.

　過去10年の間に，生体における“力”の役割と仕組みの解明，およびその応用を目指す「メカノバイオロジー」という学問領域が誕生した。その対象は分子，細胞，組織，器官から個体にわたるが，中核概念は細胞における力の感知機能（細胞力覚）である。本稿では，細胞力覚の基礎を説明したのち，メカノバイオロジー誕生の軌跡を概観し，近未来の姿を展望する。

　In the last decade a new scientific discipline called "Mechanobiology" has emerged. It aims at elucidation of roles and mechanisms of mechanical forces in organisms as well as applications of the obtained fruits to human beings. Mechanobiology deals with a wide variety of objectives, including molecules, cells, tissues, organs and individuals, in which "Cell Mechanosesing" forms the core concept. Starting with a definition of cell mechanosensing, this short review gives an outline of the history of mechanobiology and perspectives on the mechanobiology in the near future.