Dr Tian Yuan - Imperial College London

Interstitial transport (IST) is the transport of fluids and substances in the extremely soft microenvironment of the brain. It regulates key physiological activities such as sleep and memory. Dysfunctional IST can also disrupt waste clearance, causing major neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. However, our understanding of IST’s mechanisms and its influence on brain functions and diseases remains superficial and controversial. This is largely due to the complex bio-physico-chemical transport processes, which occur at different length and time scales and cannot be studied with current techniques. 

This project proposes to capture the complex IST processes in the human brain by developing a prediction platform that uses mathematical models to describe key interactions among fluids, solutes, cells, and the extracellular matrix. It will enable precise, one-stop visualisation of human brain IST directly from medical images.

Using the platform, the project will then develop early detection techniques for Alzheimer’s, explore novel mechanotherapy for brain IST-related diseases, and provide unprecedented insights into unsolved problems in IST-related health issues. 

These proposed theories, methods, and tools are highly general and modular, capable of advancing many engineering fields that rely on complex transport in soft matter. Examples include enhancing water treatment processes, where water and pollutants move through filter layers, and optimising flexible batteries, where ions and electrolytes transport through the stretchable electrodes.