Multiscale modeling of biomedical, biological, and behavioral systems (part 2) [Introduction to special issue]

In this issue, the first article by Sander et al. describes a multiscale model that captures both the macroscopic and the microscopic behavior of bioengineered tissue. This study nicely brings together tissue engineering, polarimetric imaging, and MSM to provide a basis for rational design of engineered tissues. The second article by Rangan et al. presents a multiscale computational model of a large network of neurons in the primary visual cortex. This model is able to link together the simple and complex cell dynamics associated with intracellular and extracellular recordings and the dynamic information from spatiotemporal cortical patterns produced from optical imaging methods. The third article by Lin et al. describes a computational framework for multiscale simulation of gas flow in subject-specific airway models of the human lung. The model is able to predict pulmonary gas flow characteristics in large and small airways of the breathing lung. The fourth article by Zhou et al. describes a multiscale model of oxygen transport and metabolism during exercise. The model is able to couple pulmonary gas exchange in a multiorgan whole-body model to a whole-tissue model of oxygen transport and cellular metabolism in skeletal muscle. The fifth article by Tawhai et al. provides a review of current MSM requirements, challenges, tools, and priorities in computational biomechanics. The authors use examples from musculoskeletal, respiratory, and mechanotransduction systems. Finally, the sixth article by Chizeck et al. continues on from the model sharing discussion of Tawhai et al. and specifically focuses on model validation and verification through automated unit balancing. The authors describe JSim´s unit balance checking tool and its implications for successfully sharing multiscale models.