Soft biological tissues—such as skin, vessels, and tumors—exhibit highly complex mechanical behavior driven by nonlinear, time-dependent, and multiphysical interactions. Traditional models often treat these effects in isolation, failing to explain critical phenomena like growth-induced instability, delayed buckling, or electro-mediated healing. This modeling gap limits the simulations and predictions required for advances in biomedical applications, including tissue regeneration, cancer diagnostics, and soft robotics.
The MULTI-SOFT project addresses this gap by developing a unified theoretical and computational framework that integrates: multiphysics coupling (chemo-electro-mechanical interactions), multiscale modeling (from cellular microstructure to organ-level behavior), and multi-timescale dynamics (accounting for viscoelastic relaxation and growth). The project’s overall objective is to build predictive tools for morphogenesis and instability in soft materials, validated by both in vivo wound-healing experiments and numerical simulations. Key innovations include: morpho-electroelastic theories predicting the interaction of growth and multiphysics fields, viscoelastic bifurcation frameworks for time-dependent and rate-dependent instability, abd lattice-based models bridging microstructural properties with macroscopic behavior.
The project is designed to deliver impact across multiple dimensions. Scientifically, it advances the theoretical foundations of nonlinear elasticity and develops new modeling paradigms tailored to the complex behavior of living soft tissues. On a societal level, the research contributes to a deeper understanding of healing mechanisms, with potential applications in medical technologies such as electroactive wound dressings. Industrially, the project provides design principles for time-programmable materials and soft robotic systems, paving the way for innovation in adaptive structures and intelligent devices.
While the project concluded earlier than planned due to the fellow’s successful transition to a faculty position via the NSFC Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Overseas), the key scientific results have been achieved, with outcomes disseminated via open-access publications, open-source codes, and conference presentations. This work contributes foundational tools and models for multiple EU priority areas—health innovation and advanced manufacturing—by enabling technologies that respond intelligently to mechanical and bioelectrical stimuli. It sets the stage for further cross-disciplinary research, spanning biomechanics, material science, and soft robotics.
