THE ROLE OF
MECHANICAL FORCES IN ARTERIAL DISEASES
DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT
Arterial diseases such as atherosclerosis are the major cause of death
in the western world. It is believed
that fluid mechanical factors, especially the shear stress on the arterial wall due to the flow of blood, play a
key role in the disease by changing the permeability of the endothelial cells
(which line the vessel wall), and thus affecting the transport and accumulation
of cholesterol within the wall of the artery.
However, due to the highly complex nature of the system, the precise
nature of response of the vessel to the wall shear stress to date is not yet
understood.
This project studies a new model that
incorporates the thickening of the intimal layer of the arterial wall and its
interaction with blood flow. The key
concepts are that the permeability to cholesterol in the blood of the inner
wall layer depends on the local wall shear stress, and that the presence of
oxidised cholesterol in foam cells leads to swelling of the arterial wall. This changes the flow and produces a
feedback mechanism. Based on these
ideas, a mathematical model has been recently developed for steady
two-dimensional flow. The current
project will extend this simple model to a realistic three-dimensional arterial
model, which may bend and branch, and in which the flow can be unsteady. This
is an important step forward since it is under these conditions that traces of
atherosclerosis are 
identified in vivo.
The project is novel and exciting in
that it will be the first time that interactions between the biology of the
wall and flow in realistic arterial flows have been simulated. The
project combines mathematical modelling, computational fluid dynamics in
complex geometries, and clinical research into the cardiovascular system. The outcome of the project is likely to have
an important impact on the diagnosis and treatment of arterial diseases.
Collaborators:
Prof. N. A. Hill (Department of
Mathematics)
Dr. P. Chan
(Northern General Hospital, Sheffield)
PhD
student: Mr. Martin Goodman
Move up to Dr. X. Y. Luo