Dunster2016 - Nondimensional Coagulation Model

We undertake a mathematical investigation of a model for the generation of thrombin, an enzyme central to haemostatic blood coagulation, as well as to thrombotic disorders, that is the end product of a complicated protein cascade with multiple feedbacks that ensures its production in the right place at the right time. In a laboratory setting, its central role is reflected in thrombin evolution over time being used as a measure of the ability of a patient's blood to clot. Here, we present a model for the generation of thrombin (based on earlier work) and analyse it using the method of matched asymptotic expansions to derive a sequence of simplified models that characterize the roles of distinct interactions over various timescales. In particular, we are able through the asymptotic analysis to provide simplified models that are an excellent substitute for the full model (capturing the explosive growth and decay of thrombin) and approximations for the key experimental measurements used to describe thrombin's characteristic evolution over time. The asymptotic results are validated against numerical simulations.