transport phenomena in biological systems

This teaching must integrate the development of fundamental principles of transport processes, the mathematical expression of these principles and the solution of transport equations, along with characterization of composition, structure and function of the living systems to which they are applied. Teaching undergraduate and graduate students in bioengineering about transport phenomena in living systems is challenging. Clearly, attention to the basic mechanisms of transport processes and, concomitantly, their biological and biomedical contexts, is important to curricula for educating biomedical engineers. Thus, transport processes are important considerations in basic research related to molecule, organelle, cell and organ function the design and operation of devices, such as filtration units for kidney dialysis, high density cell culture and biosensors and applications including rug and gene delivery, biological signal transduction, and tissue engineering. Today, the engineering application of biological transport phenomena contributes to research advances in physiology, immunology, and cell and molecular biology. The objective study of biological transport phenomena began historically in the field of physiology and, indeed, helped define that field. As scientific and technological advancements have shrunk the temporal and spatial scales of observation and understanding of living systems, attention to attendant transport processes at those scales has followed suit. They also span the minute time scales of individual chemical events to the lifetimes of living systems. Transport processes are manifest from the smallest spatial scales of molecular dimensions to the large scales of whole organs and of organisms themselves. Transport phenomena are also central to the operation of instrumentation used to analyze living systems, and to many of the technological interventions used to repair or improve tissues or organs. Changes in these processes often underlie pathological conditions. The transport of energy, mass, and momentum is essential to the function of living systems.

References are provided for further study. Advanced topics covered include transport in the kidney, oxygen transport, receptor-mediated processes, cell adhesion, transport of drugs in tumors, and whole body pharmacokinetic models. This book can be used for both introductory and advanced courses. The problems at the end of each chapter require either analytical solution or numerical solution using MATLAB®.

An appendix provides an overview of relevant mathematical concepts used in the text. The introductory chapter presents a brief overview of transport processes at the cell and tissue level and relevant concepts in cell biology and physiology are presented throughout the text. Examples and problems elaborate on the concepts in the text or develop new concepts. In order to provide students with a firm understanding of biological transport processes, engineering concepts are provided within the context of specific biological problems. The book consists of four sections, which cover physiological fluid mechanics, mass transport, biochemical interactions and reactions and the effect of mass transfer, and transport in organs and whole organisms. Transport Phenomena in Biological Systems provides an introduction to the integrated study of transport processes and their biological applications. The efficient transport of molecules is essential for the normal function of cells and organs and the design of devices for medical applications and biotechnology.

Transport phenomena in biological systems