Session: 16-02-01: Poster Session: NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), NSF Posters

Paper Number: 99979

99979 - Modeling Distribution of Electric Field Through Human Tissue 

Applying electric fields (EFs) to non-excitable cells in epithelial tissues and cartilage is known to promote healing, but the mechanisms are largely unknown. One mechanism may involve the fact that EFs induce electro-osmotic flow, electrically driven water flow that causes transport of macromolecules and removal of metabolic wastes from tissues. On a larger scale, electrical stimulation promotes blood flow and oxygenation internally while greatly reducing the risk of infection at wound sites. Recent clinical evidence has indicated that EF application can be a powerful treatment for both chronic and cutaneous wounds. To better understand how this process works and its limitations, we are developing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models that accurately represent the electric field distribution within tissue. The geometry that represents this is relatively simple for now; the volume of tissue is modeled as two concentric cylinders where voltage is applied at each end. This study uses a commercially available multiphysics solver, SimCenter STAR-CCM+, to monitor how voltage affects the transport characteristics and thermal profile of tissue. These results will be compared with benchtop studies and used to determine the appropriate voltage and wave form of applied EFs. Currently, models are limited by skewness at the boundary between the electrodes and the body of tissue. To produce accurate results, the models must be refined without making the simulations so complex that they become too expensive and time consuming to run. By optimizing characteristics within the software including meshing, boundary features, and geometry, this study will generate a representative model that produces the spindle-like shape of the EF distribution. The next step will be to make varied models with more detail, changing the geometry and physical properties to represent specific scenarios. Using the simple model as a starting point, it is possible to increase the density of an area within the simulation to represent fibrocartilage or articular cartilage. The long-term goal is to create a process for explaining and predicting the effects of electro-osmotic flow at the cellular level. This research has a wide range of applications in medicine and biology. Clinical studies have shown that electrical stimulation substantially increases the rate of healing for chronic wounds, which commonly take months to heal. Since naturally occurring electric potentials generated by joint movement cause cell development in cartilage, applying electric fields mechanically could have the same regenerative effect. This research will even help scientists overcome limitations like poor nutrient diffusion in engineered tissue, promoting survival of 3D printed skin grafts and organs prior to transplantation or vascularization.

Presenting Author: Lindsey Allen South Dakota State University

Presenting Author Biography: Sophomore at The Ohio State University studying Computer Science and Security and Intelligence.

Authors:

Lindsey Allen South Dakota State University
Ashley Jorgensen South Dakota State University
Stephen Gent South Dakota State University
Mark Messerli South Dakota State University