The morphology of the red blood cell is highly dependent on its composite membrane and changes in strain and stresses caused by external forces. In this video, we see how a static and then active network model describing the membrane can predict the viscoelastic properties of the cell. In this video, Philippe Fuchs describes the works of J. E. Mancuso et al. and N. S. Gov, in which we see how a simple model can help understand complex dynamics and morphological changes.
Philippe Fuchs is a student in the Cell Physics Master at the University of Strasbourg, France.
References:
1) J. E. Mancuso and W. D. Ristenpart, “Stretching of red bloodcells at high strain rates,” Phys. Rev. Fluids 2, 101101 (2017).
2) N. S. Gov, “Active elastic network: Cytoskeleton of the red blood cell,” Phys. Rev. E 75, 011921 (2007).