ARCHER2 Calendar August 2023

Maternal blood flow through the intervillous space of human placenta

Dr Qi Zhou, The University of Edinburgh, School of Engineering, Institute for Multiscale Thermofluids

A snapshot of the maternal blood flow simulated using the immersed-boundary-lattice-Boltzmann method as a suspension of deformable red blood cells through the extravascular intervillous space of the human placenta. The simulation domain is reconstructed based on a realistic tissue volume (0.48mmx1.15mmx0.46mm) extracted from a term placenta after delivery. These cellular blood flow simulations are performed with HemeLB (a high-performance parallel lattice-Boltzmann code for large scale fluid flow in complex geometries), enabled by ARCHER2 supercomputing time through the UK Consortium on Mesoscale Engineering Sciences. Our project (supported by UKRI EPSRC EP/T008725/1, EP/T008806/1) sets out to develop a robust framework for image-based modelling of blood flow and solute exchange in patient-specific placentas, aimed at elucidating the structure-function relationship between the anatomical changes and compromised nutrient transport during placental disorders. The outcome of the project will inform effective clinical management and interventions of prevalent pregnancy diseases such as pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction.

This image was published on the August page of the ARCHER2 2023 printed calendar.