Mathematical Models of Thrombus Formation and Fibrinolysis

Abstract Primary and secondary hemostasis are intimately intertwined processes, coupled through positive feedback loops and agonist activation of platelets. Hemostasis is designed to seal an injured vessel with a clot that, after the injured tissue is healed, is dissolved via fibrinolysis. These steps involve complex biochemical processes that occur on multiple spatial and temporal scales and are strongly influenced by biophysical and biomechanical effects. Due to the large number of proteins, chemicals, and cells, in addition to the combination of biochemical, biophysical, and biomechanical effects on the system, it is difficult to intuit how the system will respond without quantitative methods. In the past few decades, numerous mathematical models have been developed to address this challenge. In this chapter, we provide a survey of such models along with some of the experimental work that motivated them and was motivated by them.