Dynamics of Blood Cell Suspensions in Microflows

Blood microcirculation is essential to our bodies for the successful supply of nutrients, waste removal, oxygen delivery, homeostasis, controlling temperature, wound healing, and active immune surveillance. This book provides a physical introduction to the subject and explores how researchers can successfully describe, understand, and predict behaviours of blood flow and blood cells that are directly linked to these important physiological functions. Using practical examples, this book explains how the key concepts of physics are related to blood microcirculation and underlie the dynamic behavior of red blood cells, leukocytes, and platelets. This interdisciplinary book will be a valuable reference for researchers and graduate students in biomechanics, fluid mechanics, biomedical engineering, biological physics, and medicine.

Features:

• The first book to provide a physical perspective of blood microcirculation
• Draws attention to the potential of this physical approach for novel applications in medicine
• Edited by specialists in this field, with chapter contributions from subject area specialists

Annie Viallat, senior scientist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research, France, heads the "Physics and Engineering for Living Systems" Department in Marseille. She works on the physics of active matter, microcirculation of red blood cells and mucociliary clearance in health and disease.

Manouk Abkarian is a senior scientist at the French National Centre for Scientific Research. He is a bio- and a soft matter physicist with an internationally recognized expertise on red blood cells dynamics and membrane mechanics, as well as in microfluidics and colloidal science.