Mass Transport in Biological Systems

Catalog description

An integrated study of the fundamentals of mass transport processes with emphasis on the analysis of physiological systems. BME 413 Mass Transport in Biological Systems (3) This course provides an introduction to mass transport phenomena in biological systems. The course builds upon thermodynamic concepts of phase and chemical equilibrium to analyze ion transport and cell membrane potentials including Nernst potentials, Gibbs-Donnan equilibrium and osmotic pressure. In particular, the course provides fundamental understanding of the diffusion of gases, electrolytes and non-electrolytes in biological applications. Furthermore, the principles of oxygen transport in tissues are specifically described and analyzed using the Krogh Cylinder Modes and hemoglobin-oxygen binding relationships. The transport of substances across biological membranes is discussed and analyzed for various biological transport mechanisms including: passive diffusion, active transport and facilitated transport. Convective transport through porous media is introduced using Darcy's Law and the Brinkman Equation. Finally, fundamental concepts of pharmacokinetic modeling are introduced and utilized for the analysis of drug transport and distribution within tissues.