Abstract

Mechanics and transport in lung morphogenesis

Mammalian lung morphology is well optimized for bulk transport of gases, yet most lung morphogenesis occurs prenatally, when the lung is filled with liquid – and at birth it is immediately ready to function when filled with gas. Sharon Lubkin has studied this aspect of lung morphogenesis from several angles using mehanical/transport models tailored to specific questions. However, the models and results suggest that some of the hypothesized mechanisms are not as plausible as they at first seem… So, what’s lumen got to do with it?

Sharon Lubkin models mechanical problems in soft tissues. She is a Professor in Mathematics at North Carolina State University and is currently visiting Cambridge as the Simons Visiting Fellow at the Isaac Newton Institute.