Computational biophysical modelling for the optimisation of cardiac magnetic resonance perfusion imaging protocols
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bath
Department Name: Mechanical Engineering
Abstract
Myocardial infarction (MI) is a severe condition that occurs when blood flow is restricted or stopped to a part of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. Resulting injury to the heart can include fibrosis and necrosis of myocytes, which overtime can affect the ability of the heart to pump efficiently, ultimately leading to heart failure in some, but not all, patients. Thus, there is a need to understand the processes that are responsible for causing this damage, and to consequently understand the differing clinical outcomes that are observed. This then provides an opportunity for deriving patient-specific treatments that will limit these negative outcomes.
This project will employ mathematical modelling and computational simulation of the various cellular processes that occur during MI, with the aims of providing a proof of principle of a metric or computational tool that will provide diagnostic support to clinicians when treating patients with suspected MI.
It is proposed to use ordinary differential equation models of the cellular processes, and where appropriate partial differential equation models of cardiac mechanics, which will be parameterised by data collected from a series of porcine experiments performed by collaborators at the Translational Biomedical Research Centre, University of Bristol. This data will comprise both blood biomarker and quantitative imaging data, and as the data collection will occur both during the MI and the subsequent period, the data will provide ample means to validate these models' predictive capabilities. A broader aim of this project is to create models that can be validated using larger data sets initially, and ultimately be taken forward to test using clinical data.
This project will employ mathematical modelling and computational simulation of the various cellular processes that occur during MI, with the aims of providing a proof of principle of a metric or computational tool that will provide diagnostic support to clinicians when treating patients with suspected MI.
It is proposed to use ordinary differential equation models of the cellular processes, and where appropriate partial differential equation models of cardiac mechanics, which will be parameterised by data collected from a series of porcine experiments performed by collaborators at the Translational Biomedical Research Centre, University of Bristol. This data will comprise both blood biomarker and quantitative imaging data, and as the data collection will occur both during the MI and the subsequent period, the data will provide ample means to validate these models' predictive capabilities. A broader aim of this project is to create models that can be validated using larger data sets initially, and ultimately be taken forward to test using clinical data.
Organisations
People |
ORCID iD |
Oladoyin Odunmbaku-Mansell (Student) |
Studentship Projects
Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
EP/N509589/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2021 | |||
1792324 | Studentship | EP/N509589/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2020 | Oladoyin Odunmbaku-Mansell |
Description | We have conducted a pilot study on porcine specimens, with the aim of developing a novel method of calculating a metric which can accurately identified localised changes to left ventricular strain after a heart attack. The results from the study are promising, as the metric did detect changes. However, the low number of specimens used has been a limitation. We also tested the reproducibility of this metric using three different software packages. The metric was found to be robust across the software, whereas the more traditional method of calculating the strain has been shown to not be reproducible. |
Exploitation Route | The metric will now be tested on a large data set of human supplied by the UK Biobank. This will test whether the principle is applicable to humans, and thus to see whether it is clinically relevant. |
Sectors | Healthcare,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology |
Description | GW4 Doctoral Student Training Scheme |
Amount | £2,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | GW4 |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 02/2017 |
End | 05/2017 |
Description | Research Support Travel Fund |
Amount | £500 (GBP) |
Organisation | University of Bath |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 04/2018 |
End | 07/2018 |
Title | Novel left ventricular strain calculation technique |
Description | This model takes short-axis cardiac MRI data and divides the left ventricle into three sections: apex, mid-ventricle, and base. The short-axis MRI slices are then divided between these regions. Strain is calculated for each MRI slice, and then strains are averaged over the region. This allows for local information in the ventricle to be calculated, but without larger errors that come with just inspecting an individual MRI slice. |
Type Of Material | Computer model/algorithm |
Year Produced | 2018 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | This was undertaken in a preclinical porcine model, with small N. As such, this work will now be trialled in a larger human data set provided by the UK Biobank, to see whether this technique works in humans. |
Description | Science Festival Stand |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | A science festival stand was organised with different activities for young children and the general public. Activities included a working model of a left ventricular assist device, models of the circulatory system under different stage of heart failure, activities to understand the constituent parts of blood. There were also simplified posters presenting our group's research. This engaged a broad spectrum of people, with young children gaining interest and insight into the circulatory system, and adults to engaging with the research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |