Mathematical models for physiology: Professor Xiaoyu Luo.
Issued: Thu, 27 Jun 2013 12:42:00 BST
Professor of Applied Mathematics Xiaoyu Luo is an expert in the modelling and numerical simulation of fluids and structures in physiology.
Her research involves applying theoretical mechanics and mathematical concepts to the human body in order to solve a range of physiological problems. From magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) she reconstructs the 3D geometry of human organs, such as the gall bladder, and then applies mathematical methods to simulate and understand the biomechanics.
In the UK up to 60,000 operations to remove the gall bladder are performed each year, costing the NHS around £40m. However, in many cases, symptoms are not relieved after surgery.
With an Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council grant, Professor Luo has developed models of the gall bladder to provide clinicians with much-needed data about the underlying mechanisms of gallbladder pain.
‘By doing the modelling we are able to tell if a particular patient’s gall bladder has very high stress, which tends to induce pain, and then if the gall bladder is removed we know that at least we removed that source of pain,’ she says. ‘However, if from the modelling we see that the patient’s gall bladder is normal with no high stress or pain, this indicates there may be something else going on. So our aim is to give the clinical sector some insight from a mechanical point of view. By giving them additional information, hopefully we can improve the diagnosis so that patients receive better treatment.’
The gall-bladder wall contains layers of fibres distributed in certain directions, which enables it to sustain higher pressure. Professor Luo’s research involves modelling the fibre orientation in the wall in order to analyse stress levels.
‘In gall-bladder modelling,’ she explains, ‘we want to find out the maximum stress which the material experiences when you have a pressure on it. If the stress is too high on the wall, this can cause damage and induce pain in patients.’
As well as producing models of the gall bladder, Professor Luo has also developed models of the heart and valves, arteries and blood vessels and supervises several postgraduates working on projects in these areas.
She believes Glasgow offers students the opportunity to carry out research that can make a difference: ‘PhD students who come here to do research with me have a highly multidisciplinary research project. They don’t just study maths as an academic discipline, but also to understand how we can use it to help with physiological applications and clinical problems.
‘Students also have a lot of support. We have a second supervisor system and weekly postgraduate seminars where students give mini talks about their research. So this is a good environment where students not only learn something new but also find the presentation skills to develop their own careers.’
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