Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at Dallas, 800 W. Campbell Road, Richardson, TX, 75080, USA.
Biomech Model Mechanobiol. 2018 Feb;17(1):87-101. doi: 10.1007/s10237-017-0946-y. Epub 2017 Aug 19.
A coupled agent-based model (ABM) and finite element analysis (FEA) computational framework is developed to study the interplay of bio-chemo-mechanical factors in blood vessels and their role in maintaining homeostasis. The agent-based model implements the power of REPAST Simphony libraries and adapts its environment for biological simulations. Coupling a continuum-level model (FEA) to a cellular-level model (ABM) has enabled this computational framework to capture the response of blood vessels to increased or decreased levels of growth factors, proteases and other signaling molecules (on the micro scale) as well as altered blood pressure. Performance of the model is assessed by simulating porcine left anterior descending artery under normotensive conditions and transient increases in blood pressure and by analyzing sensitivity of the model to variations in the rule parameters of the ABM. These simulations proved that the model is stable under normotensive conditions and can recover from transient increases in blood pressure. Sensitivity studies revealed that the model is most sensitive to variations in the concentration of growth factors that affect cellular proliferation and regulate extracellular matrix composition (mainly collagen).
我们开发了一个基于代理的模型（ABM）和有限元分析（FEA）计算框架，以研究血管中生物化学机械因素的相互作用及其在维持体内平衡中的作用。基于代理的模型实现了 REPAST Simphony 库的强大功能，并适应了生物模拟的环境。将连续体水平模型（FEA）与细胞水平模型（ABM）耦合，使这个计算框架能够捕捉血管对生长因子、蛋白酶和其他信号分子（在微观尺度上）水平升高或降低以及血压变化的反应。通过模拟正常血压条件下和血压短暂升高时的猪左前降支动脉，并分析模型对 ABM 规则参数变化的敏感性，来评估模型的性能。这些模拟证明，该模型在正常血压条件下是稳定的，并且可以从血压的短暂升高中恢复。敏感性研究表明，该模型对影响细胞增殖和调节细胞外基质组成（主要是胶原蛋白）的生长因子浓度的变化最为敏感。
