Pulsatile Flow and the Susceptibility of Arteries to Atherosclerosis

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The goal of this project is to determine the role of unsteady fluid dynamics in the initiation, progression, complication and possible regression of atherosclerotic plaques. Research will focus on unsteady flow and early atherosclerotic lesions in three situations: the human carotid bifurcation, the descending thoracic aorta of monkeys, and the human abdominal aorta. Fluid dynamics research will concentrate upon unsteady flows in three-dimensional geometries, the evolution of coherent and random flow disturbances during pulsatile flows, and unsteady separation. Biological research will investigate the quantitative distribution of early atherosclerotic lesions, the alignment of endothelial cells in bifurcating vessels, and the relation between plaque composition and wall structure.