Modeling adhesion dynamics of nanoparticles: The effect of flow rates and ligand density

Adhesion of micro and nanoparticles onto cardiovascular walls is a critical process in applications such as targeted drug delivery, biomedical imaging, and cancer treatment. This paper intends to develop an understanding of the dynamic interaction between particle and vessel wall through computational modeling. The ligand-receptor binding dynamics is coupled with immersed finite element method to study the adhesion process of particles with different shapes, bonding strengths, and physical configurations. Non-spherical particle is found to contact and adhere to the wall easier than spherical particle under the same configuration. This research work will help design of micro/nanoparticles for enhanced targeted adhesion to cells of interest.