Modeling the Lung: Computational Analysis of 3D Viscous Airflow Through Bifurcating Tubular Networks

该项目旨在探索和量化复杂的 控制整体肺转运和局部 细胞机械应变从实验工作中我们了解到 肺的几何设计引起特定的流动效应， 例如不对称流动分布、混沌混合和变量 压力区。直到最近，科学界 考虑肺气道和血管被动管道， 相对简单的气体交换片。在包含以下的细胞中， 然而，这些分支网络，现在有证据表明， 参与局部流量调节以及机械信号 转录（细胞释放第二信使，改变 离子流、细胞骨架变化和转录爆发）。的 所施加的力和细胞应变是未知的， 我们已经开始了大规模的航空转移， 计算流体动力学和超级计算机技术 生物科学与NSF赞助的ERC一起， 计算场模拟这个项目将启动一个 探索小气道内的流体动力学。这 选择该地区进行初步勘探，因为 现有数据可用于交叉检查早期模型开发。

This project is designed to explore and quantitate the complex fluid dynamic forces governing global pulmonary transport and local cellular mechanical strain. From experimental work we have learned that the geometric design of the lung induces specific flow effects such as asymmetric flow distribution, chaotic mixing and variable pressure zones. Until recently the scientific community has considered the pulmonary airways and vascular passive conduits to a relatively simple gas exchange sheet. In the cells comprising these branching networks however, evidence now points to an active participation in local flow regulation as well as mechanical signal transcription (cellular release of secondary messengers, altered ion fluxes, cytoskeletal changes and transcription bursts). The applied forces and cellular strains are unknown and imposed within bifurcations we have initiated a large scale transfer of aeronautic computational fluid dynamic and supercomputer techniques to the biological sciences. In conjunction with the NSF sponsored ERC for Computational Field Simulation this project will initiate an exploration of the fluid dynamic forces within small airways. This region has been chosen for initial exploration because pre- existing data is available to cross check early model development.