Physical models of vascular systems are being used extensively in our laboratory to study a variety of phenomena related to hemodynamics. Also, computational fluid dynamics calculations are being done with a software package called FIDAP that will simulate momentum, heat, and mass transport in representative arterial systems. During the past year, efforts have been directed to projects in the following categories: (1) a study of intra-arterial drug delivery, using a glass model of the pelvic arteries, in order to optimize the treatment of cervical cancer; (2) a study of the effect of fluid shear on the expression of the gap-junction molecules in endothelial cell membranes called connexons; (3) experimental and numerical analysis of pulsatile flow in branching geometries to simulate fluid forces and arterial-wall transport of macromolecules as they relate to atherosclerosis.
