The Constitutive Equation of the Tissue Remodeling of Blood Vessels

University Of California-San Diego, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

The Constitutive Equation of the Tissue Remodeling of Blood Vessels ABASTRACT (250 words) The remodeling of blood vessels in human due to high blood pressure is very important to health and has to be understood. The objective of this proposal is to make a more complete plan of biomechanical research to gain a fuller understanding to solve physiological problems. The first step is to describe the spatial distribution of each kind of the bio-molecules in the cell as a tensor. The tensor is a mathematical concept used to describe the geometrical configuration of a system of vectors in a 3-dimentional space and has been used widely. The second step is to determine the relationship between the mechanical stresses acting in the blood vessel wall and the tensors of the bio-molecules in vascular remodeling. This relationship is the Constitutive Equation of the remodeling tissue. The U.S. Congress has been paying attention to the health of aging population in our country, since baby boomers are getting to retire. Hypertension is one of the major diseases affecting many aging people, since it will cause stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and other complications. The molecular mechanisms of hypertension have been the central theme in biological investigations. However, the connection between the bio-molecules and the mechanical forces is little known, but can be revealed by determining the Constitutive Equation of the remodeling tissue. The importance of this research is to provide a key which is required in the translation of basic science to human benefits. Educational impacts will be achieved by recruiting students to participate in this research.