The squeezing motion of capsules and erythrocytes in narrow microfluidic channels and vascular capillaries has wide applications in many biomedical and physiological processes including targeted drug delivery, cell sorting and characterization lab-on-a-chip devices, hemopathology, and oxygen delivery to body?s tissues via the capillary network. However, there is limited understanding of the involved lubrication physics of membrane interfaces with the confined solid walls for the fully three-dimensional dynamics. To elucidate the realistic motion of capsules and erythrocytes in narrow solid vessels, the proposal plans to investigate: (a) the squeezing motion in narrow square and rectangular microchannels with various configurations, and (b) the squeezing motion of capsules and erythrocytes in vascular capillaries with a diameter of 3-8 microns. Both healthy cells and erythrocytes affected by hereditary elliptocytosis will be considered. The computational study of these challenging systems will be facilitated via the non-stiff Membrane Spectral Boundary Element algorithms developed by the PI and his research group.

The proposed research has the potential to make a significant contribution in the physical understanding of the realistic motion of capsules and erythrocytes in microfluidic channels and vascular capillaries, and thus elucidate the targeted drug delivery, the resistance of blood flow and the cell deformation which affect the erythrocytes? aging and lifetime. These findings can be used to improve lab-on-a-chip devices and the control of hereditary elliptocytosis, and thus enhance public health. The results of the proposal will be integrated into the education program of the University of Maryland and become generally known via scientific meetings, journal publications and the web.

This project is co-funded by Mathematical Biology of the Division of Mathematical Sciences and the BioMaPS fundings from the Chemical, Biological, Environmental, and Transport Division in Engineering and the Division of Mathematical Ssciences.

Project Start
Project End
Budget Start
2013-08-15
Budget End
2018-07-31
Support Year
Fiscal Year
2013
Total Cost
$308,519
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Maryland College Park
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
College Park
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
20742