Research Seminar (Ridhi Sahani)
May 11 @ 9:00 am – 10:00 am
IMSI Research Seminars are open to the public. Email CIMS@uci.edu for Zoom access.
Title: In Vivo Characterization of Three-Dimensional Skeletal Muscle Mechanics
Speaker: Dr. Ridhi Sahani (Northwestern University and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab)
Date: Mon, May 11, 9-10am PT / 12-1pm ET
Speaker Bio: Ridhi Sahani is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Neuromuscular Control Laboratory in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Northwestern University and the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. Dr. Sahani earned her Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia and her B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from Bucknell University. Her research focuses on understanding how skeletal muscle structure governs three‑dimensional muscle function to improve our understanding of, and treatments for, muscle injuries and neuromuscular disorders. She integrates in vivo experimentation, advanced imaging, and computational modeling to bridge insights across scales.
Abstract: Skeletal muscle injuries have debilitating impacts on daily function. The material properties of muscle govern its ability to resist stresses during injury and in vivo measures of these properties would help explain how and why injuries occur during physiological conditions. To characterize the shear and tensile properties of living muscle we coupled micro-indentation and uniaxial extension in cat soleus muscles, with finite-element modeling. Our studies reveal stress-dependent behaviors in active and passive muscle, providing the first measurements of the full material properties of living muscle. By integrating insights across scales, this work establishes a framework for understanding how muscle properties influence function in vivo and guiding the design of rehabilitation approaches.