Shape transitions of RBC under oscillatory flows in microchannels

TL;DR

This study uses hybrid simulation methods to explore how oscillatory flows in microchannels influence red blood cell shapes, revealing potential for cell manipulation and medical diagnostics.

Contribution

It introduces a hybrid DPD-IBM simulation approach to analyze RBC shape transitions under oscillatory shear in microchannels, advancing understanding of transient cell dynamics.

Findings

RBC shape transitions depend on oscillatory waveform parameters.

Oscillatory flows can control RBC morphology.

Results align with previous experimental and computational data.

Abstract

We investigate the dynamics of the Red Blood Cell (RBC) in microfluidic channels under oscillatory flows. The simulations employ a hybrid continuum-particle approach, in which the cell membrane and cytosol fluid are modeled using Dissipative Particle Dynamics (DPD) method, and the blood plasma is modeled as an incompressible fluid via the Immersed Boundary Method (IBM). The goal of this study is to understand the morphological modes of the RBC under transient shear rates. Our simulations show good agreement with previous experimental and computational works. Our findings demonstrate the ability to control the transient dynamics of the RBC by adjusting the oscillatory waveform at the microchannel inlet. These results suggest that oscillatory flows can be used to manipulate cells, which may have implications for cell separation and identification of pathological cells.