Work

Quantifying the Biophysical Properties of Red Blood Cells in Gaucher Disease

Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: . Based on these parameters, we construct three GD-RBC subtypes (GD-RBC1-3) to systematically isolate their individual contributions. At the single-cell level, optical tweezers simulations show up to ~27% reduction in axial diameter and ~42% reduction in transverse compression. Tank-treading dynamics exhibit non-monotonic behavior, with rotation frequencies increasing by up to ~70% or decreasing under elevated bending rigidity. In confined flow, traversal times through microchannel constrictions increase by more than a factor of two, while splenic slit passage times rise from ~250 ms (control) to > 1200 ms for the severe GD-RBC subtype, approaching a functional no-passage threshold. At the population level, viscosity simulations demonstrate that these alterations collectively elevate blood viscosity, with small fractions (~4.0%) of highly rigid cells disproportionately increasing flow resistance. Overall, this study provides a quantitative and mechanistic framework that disentangles the contributions of key RBC parameters to abnormal behavior in GD, linking cellular-scale biophysics to hematologic dysfunction and microvascular occlusion.
Source: PubMed
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204272104
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: