Chemical Engineering Principles Applied to Medicine: Modeling Physiology, Disease and Drug Delivery

Chemical Engineers are increasingly working on medical problems but so far there is no text that brings together such contributions for inspiring more research and as the basis for advanced courses. This work provides contributions on how Chemical Engineering approaches medical problems, particularly using modelling alongside experimentation and data analysis, to explore medical behaviors. Chapters on modelling the liver, kidney, lungs and skin and associated systems to show how major changes in behavior can be understood and to some extent predicted, are included. This is followed by chapters explaining how engineering principles have been developed to aid diagnosis and treatment of disease such as cancer, diabetes, Von Willibrands disease, and conditions associated with the lungs. The book is of relevance to all Chemical Engineers showing how the discipline is extending to tackle the chemical and physical aspects of disease and human physiology and will also be of interest to clinical staff who wish to see how engineering methodologies can help to integrate the fragmented landscape of medical specialties and in the future move towards decision support tools based on understanding of physiology and disease to aid clinical decision making in the way that is now done in manufacturing.