Mostly Biomathematics Lunchtime Seminar
A Microvascular Model of Myocardial Hemodynamics and Transport
Speaker: Maggie Wolf (in-person) & Victoria Sturgess (via Zoom), Tandon School of Engineering Mathematics (NYU), University of Michigan
Location: Warren Weaver Hall 1314
Date: Tuesday, October 6, 2026, 12:45 p.m.
Synopsis:
Microvascular networks act as biological infrastructure, facilitating transport and enabling the distribution of oxygen to biological tissues. In the myocardium, cardiomyocytes demand high levels of oxygen, and there exists a relatively small margin of error between oxygen delivery and demand compared with other tissues. Therefore, myocardial microvascular networks must be highly efficient in distributing oxygen. We present a computational framework for microvascular hemodynamics and transport to simulate the delivery of oxygen to myocardial tissue and investigate micro-scale heterogeneities. Hemodynamics are solved with a 0D model that incorporates empirical laws for red blood cell partitioning at bifurcations and estimates of viscosity based on vessel diameter and local hematocrit. A 1D/3D finite volume transport model includes three tissue regions (vascular space, cardiomyocytes, and interstitial space) with multiple species (dissolved oxygen, hemoglobin-bound oxygen, and myoglobin-bound oxygen). The transport equations account for advection, diffusion, permeation across the vessel wall and myocyte membrane, binding and unbinding of oxygen to hemoglobin and myoglobin, and oxygen consumption by myocytes. We utilize this framework for multiple applications, including developing idealized myocardial microvascular networks, simulating transport of gadolinium-based MRI contrast agents, and assessing transport under acute challenges such as decreased arterial oxygen content. Our framework for simulating microvascular hemodynamics and transport will enable us to investigate relationships between microvascular structure, spatial and temporal variations in hemodynamic quantities, and myocardial oxygenation.