A Stochastic Coarse-Grained Model of a Red Blood Cell

ORAL

Abstract

A Red blood cell (RBC) can be modeled as a fluid volume enclosed by a flexible membrane. The membrane consists of a lipid bilayer and a protein skeleton, which determine the deformation behavior of the RBC. We develop a rigorous coarse-graining procedure for modeling the RBC membrane. The model takes into account the bending energy, in-plane shear energy, and constraints of fixed surface area and fixed enclosed volume. The coarse-grained model is validated against available experimental data and in Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) simulations of the RBC in microcirculation.

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Authors

  • Igor Pivkin

    Brown University

  • George Karniadakis

    Brown University/Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Brown University, Div. of Applied Math. Brown University