Fluid flow and solute transport in the brain are critical components in brain clearance mechanisms and neurological diseases treatments. Despite extensive research, these mechanisms are still subject to controversy, and the dosing of intrathecal drugs is still not tailored at the individual level.

Data-driven biomedical models, investigating clearance pathways and predicting drug concentrations in various brain compartments, are providing new insight and come as an innovative shift towards personalized adjustment of chemotherapy dosage. These models must tackle the complexity and multi-scale aspect of the brain, and account for the large variability between individuals. Yet, these raise multiple challenges with respect to patient-specific parameterization, multi-scale couplings, and computational cost.

This talk introduces personalized simulations of fluid flow and solute transport in the brain. The underlying models will be presented, from macro-scale (organ) to meso-scale (vasculature), with particular emphasis on numerical approaches and inherent challenges.