An integrated in silico-in vitro approach for identifying therapeutic targets against osteoarthritis

Background: Without the availability of disease-modifying drugs, there is an unmet therapeutic need for osteoarthritic patients. During osteoarthritis, the homeostasis of articular chondrocytes is dysregulated and a phenotypical transition called hypertrophy occurs, leading to cartilage degeneration. Targeting this phenotypic transition has...

Peripheral membrane proteins: Promising therapeutic targets across domains of life

Membrane proteins can be classified into two main categories—integral and peripheral membrane proteins—depending on the nature of their membrane interaction. Peripheral membrane proteins are highly unique amphipathic proteins that interact with the membrane indirectly, using electrostatic or hydrophobic interactions, or directly, using...

Numerical simulations of targeted delivery of magnetic drug aerosols in the human upper and central respiratory system: A validation study

In the present study, we investigate the concept of the targeted delivery of pharmaceutical drug aerosols in an anatomically realistic geometry of the human upper and central respiratory system. The geometry considered extends from the mouth inlet to the eighth generation of the bronchial bifurcations and is identical to the phantom model...

An Efficient and Robust Method for Lagrangian Magnetic Particle Tracking in Fluid Flow Simulations on Unstructured Grids

In this paper we report on a newly developed particle tracking scheme for fluid flow simulations on 3D unstructured grids, aiming to provide detailed insights in the particle behaviour in complex geometries. A possible field of applications is the Magnetic Drug Targeting (MDT) technique, on which this paper will be focused. MDT is a promising...

Computational Simulations of Magnetic Particle Capture in Arterial Flows

The aim of Magnetic Drug Targeting (MDT) is to concentrate drugs, attached to magnetic particles, in a specific part of the human body by applying a magnetic field. Computational simulations are performed of blood flow and magnetic particle motion in a left coronary artery and a carotid artery, using the properties of presently available...

Optimizing drug delivery using non-uniform magnetic fields: A numerical study

A comprehensive computational model for simulating magnetic drug targeting was developed and extensively tested in a cylindrical geometry. The efficiency for particle capture in a specific magnetic field and geometry was shown to be dependent on a single dimensionless number. The effect of secondary flows, a non-Newtonian viscosity and...

Numerical 3D simulation of blood flow in a symmetrical stenotic artery influenced by a strong non-uniform magnetic field

In this bachelor thesis, blood flow in simplified stenosed and unstenosed arteries under influence of a steady localized non-uniform magnetic field is investigated by performing 3D numerical simulations. The mathematical model is a combination of the principles of ferrohydrodynamics (FHD), magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and a simplified set of...