Patient Specific Modelling Network

Over the last five years the interest in developing patient-specific numerical solution to human body related problems has grown tremendously. This is due to the fact that both computing power and appropriate tools needed to carry out such studies have been emerging over the last few years. Although there are a large number of difficulties remain to be addressed, the patient-specific numerical modelling has great potential to study and understand several aspects of human body related illnesses, which are otherwise not possible. For instance, a detailed and prolong flow structure near an aortic aneurysm is only possible via a fluid dynamics study. Such a flow pattern and associated forces will help the surgeons to plan a surgery on an aortic aneurysm. Patient-specific studies will also give us the post-operative conditions a priori to a surgery and help the clinicians to make decisions. Many other examples of biomechanics, respiratory systems and urinary tract can be studied in a patient-specific sense. In short, a patient-specific study constructs a full picture from minimum available patient-specific information.The proposed network will bring a group of people from different disciplines together to address the difficulties faced by patient-specific modelling community and support a faster growth in this area. The network will pay particular attention to exploring the possibility of providing support to NHS trust hospitals. At least four formal workshops will be held during the proposed period of the network to move the research forward in the area of patient-specific modelling. A dedicated webpage will be developed and hosted from Swansea. This webpage will have a robust database for registered participants to upload and share patient-specific modelling related material. All the attempts will be made beyond the project period to sustain the network. This includes conducting larger workshops, approaching other funding agencies, charities and private medical industries.