Modeling of Biological Materials

One of the primary purposes and obligations of science, in addition to - derstandingnatureingeneralandlifeinparticular, istoassistinenhancing the quality and longevity of life, indeed a most daunting challenge. To be able to meaningfully meet the last of the above expectations, it is nec- sary to provide the practitioner of medicine with diagnostic and predictive capabilities that science will accord when its seemingly disparate parts are melded together and brought to bear on the problems that they face. The development of interdisciplinary activities involving the various basic sciences―biology, physics, chemistry, and mathematics, and their applied counterparts, engineering and technology―is a necessary key to unlocking the mysteries of medicine, which at the moment is a curious admixture of art, craft, and science. Signi?cant strides have been taken during the past decades for putting intoplaceamethodologythattakesintoaccounttheinterplayofthevarious basic sciences. Considerable progress has been made in understanding the role that mechanics has to play in the development of medical procedures. Thiscollectionofsurveyarticlesaddressestheroleofmechanicswithregard to advances in the medical sciences. In particular, these survey articles bring to one’s attention the central role played by mathematical modeling in general and the modeling of mechanical issues in particular that have a bearing on the biology, chemistry, and physics of living matter.

This interdisciplinary collection of surveys highlights the central role played by the mathematical modeling of mechanical properties having an effect on the biology, chemistry, and physics of living matter. One of the main goals of the book is to present―in a single, self-contained resource―topics that are widely scattered across the literature in a variety of journals having mutually nonintersecting communities of readers, such as applied mathematicians, engineers, biologists, and physicians.

Readers coming from diverse backgrounds are provided with basic modeling ideas and tools to address important problems in the medical and health sciences. Presented are appropriate models as well as their implementation through numerical and computer simulations, which may lead to potential technological innovations useful in medicine. Models are tested in realistic experiments, results are extracted analytically or numerically, and the success of the developed models is determined by comparing theoretical predictions and actual experimental findings.

Written in a user-friendly style that avoids cumbersome mathematical techniques and notation, each chapter examines theoretical and practical issues associated with a specific biomedical application
Specific topics covered include:

* mechanical properties of biological materials―macroscopic and microscopic perspectives

* biochemical and biomechanical aspects of blood flow

* formation and growth of intracranial aneurysms

* modeling of natural tissue substitutes, including cardiovascular and biodegradable stents

* regulation of hemostatic system function

* mechanical properties of tumors, bones, and cell membranes

Modeling of Biological Materials may be used in interdisciplinary, introductory courses covering various biomechanical topics for graduate students in applied mathematics, engineering, and biomedicine. The surveysfeatured in the book will also be a lasting and valuable reference for a wide community of researchers, practitioners, and advanced students in the above-mentioned fields.