Blood Flow in Microcirculation: How Red Blood Cells Shape the Stream

Blood flow in the microcirculation is far from uniform, it is a dynamic and organized process driven largely by the behavior of red blood cells (RBCs). Their deformability, tendency to aggregate, and interactions with plasma govern how blood moves, redistributes, and self-organizes under varying flow conditions. In this seminar, I will present in vitro studies from our lab using microfluidic chips to explore how these mechanical and collective properties of RBCs modulate viscosity, particle migration, mixing, and the development of the cell-free layer (CFL).

Dr. Marianne Fenech is a Full Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ottawa. She leads the "Biofluid and Biorheology" lab, where her research focuses on blood flow behavior in microcirculation. She is currently a Visiting Researcher in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Biomedical Engineering in Dr. Maria Tenje’s group at Uppsala University.