| Description |
Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is an inflammatory disease of the esophagus, characterized by penetration of eosinophils into the esophageal wall. Once thought to be a rare condition, incidents of EoE are becoming more common. As EoE has risen to prominence, significant effort has been undertaken to successfully diagnose and treat the disease. Most studies of EoE have utilized a typical approach of biological assessment. Although this approach is successful, it may neglect fundamental biophysics that impact the progression and treatment of the disease. The use of engineering methods to create a physics-based assessment of EoE defines a biophysical model to answer fundamental questions concerning EoE development, which can be used in the treatment of the disease. The methods and techniques are common in traditional engineering applications and are used to obtain insight into a physical system through mathematical application. This work examines a purported relationship between eosinophil concentration and esophageal morphology. The pathogenesis of EoE using conservation principles is performed. Finally, a model for delivery of hydrophobic drugs from polymeric micelles is presented, which vessels can be utilized for delivery of drugs into the epithelium in the esophagus. |
