Diagnostics & Control
Research Centre
Respiratory System and Devices
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Respiratory disorders are common in both developed and developing countries. Many of these disorders are directly connected to the constrictions in the airways of the human respiratory system. Asthma and bronchitis are typical examples that arise from the constriction of airways. Asthma is a respiratory disease that is characterised by chronic inflammation, hypersensitivity, and obstruction of the airways. During an asthma attack contraction of airway smooth muscle and mucous production cause reduction of the bronchial diameter, significantly changing the airflow resistance in and out of the lungs.
Non-conventional Techniques of Relieving Asthma
While medicine helps relieving pains and curing diseases, there is no medicine without side effects. The main aim of the Respiratory system dynamics group is to identify non-conventional techniques of relieving constrictions in the airway passages such as those caused by asthma that minimise or replace the use of medication. The research can be divided into two parts:
1. Vibration relaxation of airway smooth muscle
It has been proven that airway smooth muscle can be relaxed using vibrations. The aim of this research is to identify which processes in airway smooth muscle are responsible for the relaxation, and to determine the amount of force reduction caused by vibrations in the range between 0 and 100 Hz.
Firstly, this research is conducted on tissue level, using finite element modelling with purpose built material models to describe force reduction due to vibrations.
Airway Smooth Muscle Cell animation
Secondly, the actual processes responsible for force generation and relaxation in the airway smooth muscle cell are investigated.
2. A Dynamic Investigation of Airways
The respiratory system consists of a series of branching tubes which become narrower, shorter and more numerous as they penetrate deeper into the lung. From a mechanics point of view, the walls of these passages are composed of viscoelastic material. A system that possesses mass and elastic properties exhibits natural frequencies at different modes of vibration, which are inherent to the system.
The Respiratory System and Devices Group within the Diagnostics and Control Research Centre at the Auckland University of Technology has focused on the area of the acoustic and vibration response of the lung for the last seven years. Recently this has resulted in a published theoretical model, supported by experimental validation that predicts the dynamic characteristics of airways in terms of the natural frequencies of the branched tree structure.
Respiratory Devices
This area focuses on modelling, optimisation and development of respiratory devices. Our major industrial patentor in this regard is Fisher&Paykel Healthcare Ltd.
More information on several of the projects performed by this group can be found here.