This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The transport of metabolites, regulatory proteins, and other signals is crucial for the maintenance and growth of tissues. These molecules are often suspended in solution. In this proposal we describe our plan to use mathematical modeling to study how oscillatory flow enhances uptake rate of solutes by cells in models of cartilage. At the micron scale, diffusion is an effective means for transport. However, at the scale of hundreds of microns and beyond, diffusion is too slow to deliver molecules at a sufficient rate, and convection is required. The interplay between diffusion and convection is relatively unexplored in the context of musculoskeletal tissue. In our first aim, we prescribe the flow through a sponge laden with cells and calculate the uptake rate as a function of flow properties and the geometry of the sponge. In our second aim, we prescribe the mechanical loading of the sponge and use poroelastic models to calculate the flow and thus the uptake rate. Our results should have implications not just for nutrient uptake but also mechanosensing and waste disposal.
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