SPP 2526 Holistic Design of Molecular Communication Systems

HemoCom: Hemodynamics for Molecular Communication in the Flow of Life

Institutions

  • TU Berlin
  • Deutsches Herzzentrum der Charité
  • FH Dortmund

Team @ TKN

Funding

  • DFG (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft)

Project Time

  • 09/2026 - 12/2029

Description

Future bioactive implants and personalized medical systems require continuous, real-time access to biochemical information within the human body. Molecular communication (MC), which conveys information via transported particles, offers a promising pathway toward such biochemically closed-loop medical systems. However, current MC models and testbeds largely rely on simplified assumptions such as Newtonian fluids, steady flow, and idealized channel geometries, which severely limit their applicability to in vivo scenarios. In particular, the complex rheology of blood, pulsatile flow conditions, vessel compliance, and network effects of the human cardiovascular system remain insufficiently understood and modeled in MC research.

The proposed project HemoCom aims to establish an experimentally validated foundation for synthetic molecular communication in the human cardiovascular system with blood as the transport medium. Combining expertise from telecommunications engineering, biofluid mechanics, and medical electronics, the project develops analytical models, experimental methodologies, and multi-scale simulation tools for superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPION)-based MC under physiologically realistic conditions. Key objectives include (i) the characterization of blood-based MC channels accounting for non-Newtonian rheology, pulsatility, and vascular bifurcations, (ii) the development of a novel tomographic receiver enabling spatio-temporal detection of molecular signals in flowing blood, and (iii) the integration of experimental and numerical results into a multi-scale simulation framework and health digital twin of molecular communication in the human circulatory system.

The applicability of the developed concepts is demonstrated in a clinically relevant scenario by investigating MC-based feedback mechanisms for adaptive ventricular assist devices. Beyond its direct scientific contributions, the project provides reference models, open datasets, and validated methodologies for the DFG Priority Programme SPP 2526 HoD-MoCS, thereby enabling reproducible, physiology-aware MC research and supporting future in-body communication and control concepts in medicine.

Selected Publications

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Last modified: 2026-09-04