Erythrocyte Sedimentation: Collapse of a High-Volume-Fraction Soft-Particle Gel

[en] The erythrocyte sedimentation rate is one of the oldest medical diagnostic methods whose physical mechanisms remain debatable today. Using both light microscopy and mesoscale cell-level simulations, we show that erythrocytes form a soft-particle gel. Furthermore, the high volume fraction of erythrocytes, their deformability, and weak attraction lead to unusual properties of this gel. A theoretical model for the gravitational collapse is developed, whose predictions are in agreement with detailed macroscopic measurements of the interface velocity.

Disciplines :

Physics

Author, co-author :

Darras, Alexis; Darras, A (Corresponding Author), Saarland Univ, Expt Phys, D-66123 Saarbrucken, Germany. Darras, Alexis

Dasanna, Anil Kumar; John, Thomas

John, Thomas; Kaestner, Lars

Gerhard, Gompper; Wagner, Christian, Saarland Univ, Expt Phys, D-66123 Saarbrucken, Germany. Dasanna, Anil Kumar

Kaestner, Lars; Gompper, Gerhard

Fedosov, Dmitry A.; Fedosov, Dmitry A., Forschungszentrum Julich, Inst Biol Informat Proc, Theoret Phys Living Matter, D-52425 Julich, Germany. Dasanna, Anil Kumar

WAGNER, Christian ; University of Luxembourg

Fedosov; Fedosov, Dmitry A., Forschungszentrum Julich, Inst Adv Simulat, D-52425 Julich, Germany. Kaestner, Lars, Saarland Univ, Theoret Med Biosci, D-66424 Homburg, Germany. Wagner, Christian, Univ Luxembourg, Dept Phys Mat Sci, L-1511 Luxembourg, Luxembourg.

External co-authors :

yes

Title :

Erythrocyte Sedimentation: Collapse of a High-Volume-Fraction Soft-Particle Gel

Publication date :

2022

Journal title :

PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

ISSN :

0031-9007

Publisher :

AMER PHYSICAL SOC, ONE PHYSICS ELLIPSE, COLLEGE PK, MD 20740-3844 USA, Unknown/unspecified

Volume :

128

Issue :

Peer reviewed :

Peer reviewed

Commentary :

Article

Available on ORBilu :

since 03 July 2023

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