Biorheology is the study of

flow properties In physics and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids—liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including ''aerodynamics'' (the study of air and other gases in motion) and ...

(rheology) of

biological fluids Body fluids, bodily fluids, or biofluids, sometimes body liquids, are liquids within the human body. In lean healthy adult men, the total body water is about 60% (60–67%) of the total body weight; it is usually slightly lower in women (52-55%). ...

. The term was first proposed by

Alfred L. Copley Alfred Lewin Copley (1910–1992) was a German- American medical scientist and an artist at the New York School in the 1950s. As an artist he worked under the name L. Alcopley. He is best known as an artist for his abstract expressionist paintings ...

, a German-American medical scientist, at the first International Congress on

Rheology Rheology (; ) is the study of the flow of matter, primarily in a fluid ( liquid or gas) state, but also as "soft solids" or solids under conditions in which they respond with plastic flow rather than deforming elastically in response to an appl ...

in 1948.

Objectives and study domains

Biorheological research aims to determine and characterize the dynamics of physiological processes at all levels of biological organization, and the inter-relationships between rheological properties of various biological systems. Biorheological studies can include both animal and plant systems, and can be in broad contexts like the rheology of

macromolecules A macromolecule is a very large molecule important to biophysical processes, such as a protein or nucleic acid. It is composed of thousands of covalently bonded atoms. Many macromolecules are polymers of smaller molecules called monomers. The ...

and macromolecular arrays, or in narrower contexts like the rheology in cells, tissues or organs.

Practical use

The biorheological approach applies in particular to molecular studies where changes of physical properties and conformation are investigated without reference to how the process actually takes place. Biorheological analyses include study of

pathological Pathology is the study of the causal, causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when us ...

processes through clinical research in the related fields of

hemodynamics Hemodynamics or haemodynamics are the dynamics of blood flow. The circulatory system is controlled by homeostatic mechanisms of autoregulation, just as hydraulic circuits are controlled by control systems. The hemodynamic response continuously mo ...

and

hemorheology Hemorheology, also spelled haemorheology (from Greek ‘αἷμα, ''haima'' 'blood' and rheology, from Greek ῥέω ''rhéō'', ' flow' and -λoγία, ''-logia'' 'study of'), or blood rheology, is the study of flow properties of blood and its ...

, and may have clinical implications in aiding the treatment of specific diseases.

External links

International Society of Biorheology

Bulgarian Society of Biorheology
* {{cite journal , last1=Copley , first1=Alfred L. , title=Biorheology, Western medicine and acupuncture , journal=Acupuncture & Electro-Therapeutics Research , date=1 January 1985 , volume=10 , issue=4 , pages=279–296 , doi=10.3727/036012985816714360 , pmid=2871699 Fluid dynamics

Objectives and study domains

Practical use

See also

External links