Mathematical Models for Red Blood Cell math.nyu.edu

Red blood cell-like shapes (biconcave disks) turn out to be the shapes that minimize the bending energy for the minimum amount of volume (space) they require.

Abstract:

The red blood cell has a unique biconcave shape because this shape minimizes the bending energy of the membrane. In this study, we want to find the simplest discrete model to generate this shape. We use a triangulated surface to approximate a smoothly continuous surface and re-define curvature on our discrete surface. We formulate an evolution equation involving bending energy E, volume V , and area A, and use it to produce a biconcave shape that simulates red blood cell.