Test-rigs fo patient-specific insight

In recent years, biomimetic design from the field of soft robotics play an increasing role in mimicking physiological phenomena on the benchtop. From an ethical perspective, benchtop and computational testing mitigates the need for excessive animal testing, a common practice in medical device innovations. Our research focuses on enabling patient-specific testing with the goal to include underrepresented patient groups such as women and children early in the design process. As a part of this work, we have built Scandinavia's first hybrid mock circulatory loop (Interview), which enables testing of physical prototypes in interaction with a virtual model of the patient.

 

CardioLoop: A versatile hybrid mock circulatory loop for medical device testing

 

“I feel satisfied as this grant recognises our work in animal-free testing of mechanical assist devices and artificial hearts,” Dual says.
In the project, the researchers will develop test rigs that allow for patient-specific testing in combination with magnetic resonance imaging of 4-dimensional flow fields. In contrast to other systems, Dual explains, they can test medical devices in dynamic interaction with the human cardiovascular system.
“This allows us to simulate not only average conditions but also tune to patient-specific parameters and simulate sleep or exercise. In this way, we become a realistic alternative to animal trials.”

Contact: Seraina Dual 

Funded by Vetenskåprådet, Swedish Research Foundation 

In collaboration with Asst. Prof. David Marlevi, Karolinska Institute 

 

Patient-specific computational modeling

 

As cardiovascular diseases continue to be thei leading cause of mortality worldwide, computational and hybrid testing of treatment strategies such as heart pumps present a promising avenue for saving lives. However, these models are most often generic and lack patient-specific insight.

Contact: Fangnan Xu 

Funded by: The work was carried out within the strategic innovation programme ‘Smarter Electronics Systems’, a joint initiative by Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten). We thank and acknowledge VINNOVA (2022-0084, 2024-00592)

In collaboration with Scandinavian Realheart 

 

Pre-clinical evaluation of the physiological control of a total artificial heart

The focus of this research is to advance the knowledge of total artificial hearts as a viable therapeutic option for patients suffering from heart failure. Using a hybrid mock circulatory loop, a unique way to model the interface between a physical medical device prototype and a virtual model of the cardiovascular apparatus, we can generate real-time physiological hemodynamic conditions. This dynamic testing platform allows us to simulate various patient states, including exercise conditions, offering valuable insights for improving the design of artificial hearts and other cardiovascular assist devices. Our ultimate aim is to improve the safety and performance of these critical medical technologies.

Data-driven cardiovascular assist devices

As cardiovascular diseases continue to be the leading cause of mortality worldwide, computational and hybrid testing of treatment strategies such as heart pumps present a promising avenue for saving lives. However, these models are most often generic and lack patient-specific properties. This research aims at designing and optimizing an algorithm for tuning the parameters of a cardiovascular model to generate patient-specific simulations. The goal is to enhance the accuracy and performance of cardiovascular models, ultimately facilitating the creation of patient-specific digital twins.

Funded by Digital Futures.

 

Publications

E. Perra, G. Uribarri, E. Fransen, S.A. Dual. Particle Swarm Optimisation for patient-specific tuning of a cardiovascular model. European Society of Biomechanics, Edinburgh, 2024.

E. Perra, O. Kreis, S.A. Dual. Showcasing the capabilities of a hybrid mock circulation loop for Investigation of Aortic coarctation. Functional Imaging and Modeling of the Heart. FIMH 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13958. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-35302-4_52

 

Fundamental understanding of aortic coarctation biomechancis during exersize 

Coarctation of the aorta (CoA) is a children heart defect characterized by a constriction of the aorta. The blood pressure gradient (∆P) across the CoA measured at rest during catheterization is an important metric to diagnose CoA severity. However, patients with insignificant ∆P at rest can develop pathologically high ∆P during exercise, making ∆P at rest insufficient to determine disease burden. The magnitude of the ∆P increase varies on a patient-specific basis.  The aim of this study was to predict ∆P across the CoA during exercise through in vitro measurements acquired in compliant aortic phantoms incorporated in a hybrid mock circulatory loop tuned to patient-specific medical record data.
Contact: Seraina Dual

Funded by the Scandinavian- American Foundation.

In collaboration with Daniel Ennis, Alison Marsden (Stanford University) and Doff McElHinney (Stanford Medicine).

 

Pulications

P. J. Nair et al., "Experiments and Simulations to Assess Exercise-Induced Pressure Drop Across Aortic Coarctations," Journal of Biomechanical Engineering, vol. 147, no. 7, 2025.

P. Nair, E. Perra, D.B. McElhinney, A.L. Marsden, D.B. Ennis, S.A. Dual. Patient-variability in exercise-induced pressure drop across aortic coarctations. European Society of Biomechanics, Edinburgh, 2024 (Nomination for Poster Award)

P. J. Nair et al., "Hemodynamics in Patients with Aortic Coarctation : A Comparison of in vivo 4D-Flow MRI and FSI Simulation," in Functional Imaging and Modeling of the Heart : 12th International Conference, FIMH 2023, Proceedings, 2023, pp. 515-523.