Examining the effects of heterogeneity in biological tissues

Over the last twenty years mathematical modelling has been applied to a multitude of different problems associated with understanding function within various biological tissues and organs. The key functions of these organs are fundamentally connected with the structure of the organ. To bridge the scales between complex cellular processes and the overall function of the tissue comparable with biological experiments, assumptions of homogeneity are often imposed to enable to the use of mathematical upscaling techniques. Improvements in imaging techniques allow these assumptions to be questioned and heterogeneity within the structure of biological tissues must be addressed. In this talk I will present my work investigating the effect of structure on (i) the mechanics of the peripheral nerve, and (ii) the hemodynamics of the human placenta.