# A Computational Biomechanical Airway Model for Obese Children at Risk for OSAS

> **NIH NIH R01** · ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $740,371

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Childhood obesity remains epidemic and is most prevalent in minorities. Obese children have a higher risk for
developing obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) with an estimated prevalence of 50%, compared to the
general pediatric population with a known prevalence of 2-4%. OSAS carries with it significant neurocognitive,
cardiovascular, and metabolic derangements. Additionally, obese children do not respond well to treatment
such as adenotonsillectomy or weight loss with residual OSAS exceeding 50%. Despite progress that has
been made in recent years to understand the anatomical and functional attributes of OSAS in children, the
precise mechanism leading to the disorder remains unknown in the majority of obese children, hindering the
development of efficacious treatments. Thus, the overarching goal of this study is to implement state-of-the-art
dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and image analytics using computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
and biomechanical modeling, to establish the biomechanical basis that leads to OSAS or protects from it, in
naïve and treated children with obesity.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9947999
- **Project number:** 5R01HL130468-06
- **Recipient organization:** ALBERT EINSTEIN COLLEGE OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Raanan Arens
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $740,371
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-08-15 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9947999

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9947999, A Computational Biomechanical Airway Model for Obese Children at Risk for OSAS (5R01HL130468-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9947999. Licensed CC0.

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