Accurate characterization of cavitation properties in soft gels and fundamental understanding of the complex cavitation-gel coupling are essential to establish the reliable bounds of
the critical mechanical inputs (acceleration or pressure) that will likely induce cavitation in biological samples. Toward clinically and biologically relevant studies of cavitation, it is still necessary to develop a reasonable in vitro model that biologically and mechanically represents target organs. As an example, neurons can be cultured in 3-dimentional extracellular matrix (ECM) at a specific concentration to match mechanical stiffness of the neuron-ECM system to target brain tissues. Biological studies utilizing such neuron-ECM system would provide heterogeneous cavitation nucleation criteria in brain and shed light on key mechanism(s) in traumatic brain injury.
