Overview - Database of Tissue Properties

With the material parameter database, IT’IS aims to provide the computational life sciences community with values for EM, thermal, fluid, acoustic and MR properties of biological tissues in a free, easily accessible, and dynamically evolving manner. The database is drawn from a comprehensive scientific literature review and is continuously updated. The IT’IS Foundation, a non-profit and independent research organization, is committed to the long-term maintenance of this material parameter database.

With the SEMCAD X and Sim4Life simulation software packages, users are able to import the material database and automatically assign tissue parameter values to the Virtual Population models.

The database aims not only to provide the most up-to-date and comprehensive estimates for tissue material parameter values but also statistical information about the spread and standard deviation per tissue for the different thermal and fluidic parameters. This information is important for assessment of the contribution to the uncertainty in a quantity of interest due to the selection of the material parameters. For some material parameters, e.g., perfusion, the variation can be large, which in turn can have a severe effect on simulation results.

The IT’IS material parameter database is envisioned as a webresource to be continuously developed and improved. General considerations, remarks, and known issues regarding the database are summarized in the documentation available for download. Although revised versions of the database have been published, previous versions remain accessible, together with a log file documenting the changes. Permanent digital access to each released version of the database and unambiguous traceability is guaranteed by a unique Digital Object Identifiers (DOI). The goal is to create and maintain a comprehensive and accurate reference database for EM, thermal, flow, acoustic, and MR simulations involving human models. In the future, the material database will be extended to cover additional physical and physiological properties of tissues, including mechanical elasticity, and more.

In addition to tissue properties, a database on tissue morphometry is provided. Currently values are provided for tissues of the peripheral nervous system that are available in the ViP v4.0 models. The aim is to provide estimates on the shape and the contents of neve tissues. Like the material properties database it is a result of an extensive literature review.

Latest updates:

Recent improvements of the database include:

• • Addition of the morphometric tissue database for peripheral nervous tissues as segmented in the ViP v4.0 models
  • tissue elemental compositions (weight fractions) for standard tissues, e.g. as segmented in the ViP v3.x
  • tissue properties for various tissues in the eye: choroid, retina, iris, aqueous humor, ciliary body
  • • conductivity values for frequencies lower than 1 MHz (Low Frequency Conductivity) 

How to reference our work:

Please use the following citation when referring to our database:

Hasgall PA, Di Gennaro F, Baumgartner C, Neufeld E, Lloyd B, Gosselin MC, Payne D, Klingenböck A, Kuster N, “IT’IS Database for thermal and electromagnetic parameters of biological tissues,” Version 4.1, Feb 22, 2022, DOI: 10.13099/VIP21000-04-1. itis.swiss/database