A Collection of Research and Review Articles From Leaders in the Field of Respiratory Biomechanics.

The beauty of the respiratory system is that it advects air from the mouth/nose to the deep lung, providing a substrate for the gas exchange needed for life. Due to the close interaction of structure and function, the lungs can deform under very small amounts of pressure. In addition, the lung serves as the first barrier of defense against inhaled toxins. The same biomechanical processes may be used to optimize inhaled therapeutic delivery. This special issue provides a unique collection of original research and review articles focused on respiratory biomechanics in health and disease. Included articles feature topics such as mechanical characterization of lung and organ tissue biomechanics, cell interaction during respiration, modeling of gas and capillary flow, and particle transport and deposition.