Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How red blood cell membranes change shape and move
By Afas KC & Goldman D.·2026·School of Biomedical Engineering, United Kingdom·View original on Europe PMC →
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Original publication title: Red Blood Cell Membrane Mechanics Using Discrete Exterior Calculus (DEC) and Optimization.
Plain-English summary
This study focused on creating a new computer program to better understand the shape and behavior of red blood cells (RBCs). The program uses advanced mathematical techniques to accurately model how these cells change shape, which is important for understanding how they release energy. The researchers found that their method was stable and produced results that matched what has been observed in real-life experiments. This new approach could help in future studies related to how red blood cells interact with their environment and could be useful for various questions in cell biology. Overall, the new algorithm shows promise for advancing our understanding of red blood cell mechanics.
Abstract
In this study, a novel algorithm for computing red blood cell (RBC) geometry was developed as the first step of a quantitative model for RBC-ATP release. This model relied on the developing coordinate-invariant computational framework of discrete exterior calculus (DEC). The algorithm for the first time in literature was formulated in an implicit manner, utilized a Lie-derivative based vertex drift contribution to ensure the mesh was well-behaved throughout deformation, and was able to obtain RBC equilibrium geometries in an efficient manner. This algorithm was shown to be highly stable, quantified through tracking the RBC membrane energy. Equilibrium geometries were shown to agree with literature in in vivo observations, and qualitatively reproduced phenomena seen in in vivo experiments where RBCs are subjected to solutions of varying osmolarity. This DEC algorithm will be applied in future work to fluid-structure interactions of RBCs, and has application to a multitude of open cell biology problems.
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Search related cases →Original publication on Europe PMC: https://europepmc.org/article/MED/41952353