Title: Mechanopathology of Esophageal Motility Disorders

Author (Talk): Leroy Jia, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Abstract:

Esophageal motility disorders are pathological conditions characterized by abnormally shaped deformations of the esophagus; examples include achalasia, diffuse esophageal spasm, and corkscrew esophagus. Their etiology is uncertain, but they are hypothesized to be due to the interplay of tissue hypertrophy, elastic remodeling, and muscular contraction. We use a mathematical framework based on perturbation of the equations of nonlinear solid mechanics to identify and analyze bifurcations that represent mechanical instability. Certain kinds of growth deformations and active stress patterns are found to cause buckling, which may explain the origin of the unusual shapes and help predict the onset of disease. Through our work, we uncover universal properties of instabilities in organs and tissues that could inform broader applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.