This book provides the basic background for a general computational methodology for multi-scale modelling, and shows how the methodology can be applied to different fields of biomedicine, in particular orthopedics and cardiovascular medicine. The authors begin with a description of the relationship  between multiscale modeling and systems biology, then they proceed systematically upwards in hierarchical levels from molecular, cellular, tissue to organ. Following this, the focus shifts to an examination of multiscale modeling applications in specific areas: mechanotransduction, musculoskeletal and cardiovascular.

Dimitrios I. Fotiadis, PhD, is Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics. He is Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Ioannina in Greece.

Antonis I. Sakellarios, PhD, is a Research Associate at the Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering of the University of Ioannina and the FORTH # Biomedical and Research Institute.

Vassiliki T. Potsika, PhD, is Assistant Editor of the IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics and works with the Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems at the University of Ioannina.

Author Biographies xi

Preface xiii

List of Abbreviations xvii

List of Terms xxiii

1 Systems Biology and Multiscale Modeling 1

2 Biomedical Imaging 29

3 Computational Modeling at Molecular Level 65

4 Computational Modeling at Cell Level 91

5 Computational Modeling at Tissue Level 117

6 Macroscale Modeling at the Organ Level 153

7 Mechanotransduction Perspective, Recent Progress and Future Challenges 195

8 Multiscale Modeling of the Musculoskeletal System 225

9 Multiscale Modeling of Cardiovascular System 271

10 Risk Prediction 303

11 Future Trends 331

Index 355