Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.
Ann Biomed Eng. 2010 Mar;38(3):1225-35. doi: 10.1007/s10439-010-9904-x.
A major computational challenge for a multiscale modeling is the coupling of disparate length and timescales between molecular mechanics and macroscopic transport, spanning the spatial and temporal scales characterizing the complex processes taking place in flow-induced blood clotting. Flow and pressure effects on a cell-like platelet can be well represented by a continuum mechanics model down to the order of the micrometer level. However, the molecular effects of adhesion/aggregation bonds are on the order of nanometer. A successful multiscale model of platelet response to flow stresses in devices and the ensuing clotting responses should be able to characterize the clotting reactions and their interactions with the flow. This paper attempts to describe a few of the computational methods that were developed in recent years and became available to researchers in the field. They differ from traditional approaches that dominate the field by expanding on prevailing continuum-based approaches, or by completely departing from them, yielding an expanding toolkit that may facilitate further elucidation of the underlying mechanisms of blood flow and the cellular response to it. We offer a paradigm shift by adopting a multidisciplinary approach with fluid dynamics simulations coupled to biophysical and biochemical transport.
多尺度建模的一个主要计算挑战是将分子力学和宏观输运之间明显不同的长度和时间尺度进行耦合，涵盖了描述流动诱导血栓形成中复杂过程的时空尺度。可以通过连续介质力学模型很好地表示类似于细胞的血小板的流动和压力效应，直到微米级的顺序。然而，粘附/聚集键的分子效应在纳米级的顺序。成功的血小板对设备中流动应力的多尺度模型以及随后的凝血反应应该能够描述凝血反应及其与流动的相互作用。本文试图描述近年来开发的一些计算方法，并提供给该领域的研究人员。它们与传统方法不同，传统方法通过扩展流行的基于连续体的方法，或者完全脱离它们，从而产生一个扩展的工具包，这可能有助于进一步阐明血流的潜在机制和细胞对血流的反应。我们通过采用多学科方法，将流体动力学模拟与生物物理和生化传输相结合，实现了范式转变。
