Context & Objectives
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and many animals, responsible for molecular exchanges between external air and internal blood through mechanical ventilation. It has an extraordinary complex architecture, with the inherent fractal structure of the bronchial and blood vessel trees, as well as the hierarchical structure of the parenchyma. Lung biomechanics has been extensively studied by physiologists, experimentally as well as theoretically, from the air flow, blood flow and tissue stress points of view, laying the ground for our current fundamental understanding of the relationship between function and mechanical behavior. However, many questions remain, notably in the intricate coupling between the multiple constituents, between the many phenomena taking place at different spatial and temporal scales in health and disease. For example, even for healthy lungs, there is no quantitative model allowing to link tissue-level and organ-level experimental material responses.
These fundamental questions represent real clinical challenges, as pulmonary diseases are an important health burden. Interstitial lung diseases, for instance, affect several million people globally. Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), notably, a progressive form of interstitial lung diseases where some alveolar septa get thicker and stiffer while others get completely damaged, remains poorly understood, poorly diagnosed, and poorly treated, with a current median survival rate inferior to 5 years. It has, however, been hypothesized that a mechanical vicious cycle is in place within the parenchyma of IPF patients, where fibrosis and damage
induce large stresses, which in turn favor fibrosis. (…)
Keywords
Pulmonary Biomechanics; Image-based Modeling ; Finite Element Method; Computational Homogenization ; Neural Networks ; Data assimilation
Candidate profile
The candidate will have to master continuum mechanics, with if possible knowledge of finite strains, biomechanics, and numerical methods. He/She will also have an interest in the application in pneumology, especially for interacting with clinical collaborators.
Work environment
The thesis will take place within the M3DISIM team (joint between École Polytechnique & Inria and within the Solid Mechanics Laboratory), on the École Polytechnique campus. It will be in tight collaboration with the LaMCoS at INSA-Lyon. It will be co-directed by Martin Genet, Aline Bel-Brunon & Dominique Chapelle. It should start in 2020.
Contacts
martin.genet@polytechnique.edu, aline.bel-brunon@insa-lyon.fr, philippe.moireau@inria.fr, dominique.chapelle@inria.fr