Since 2006, the MET Technology Gateway associated research centre GMedTech has developed capabilities in producing realistic vascular models from medical images. The unique feature within the GMedTech Centre is the capacity for designing and developing in vitro testing systems for replicating various haemodynamic conditions through different parts of the cardiovascular system that may or may not incorporate a disease type. This unique capability was recognised at the 2012 ASME Summer biomedical engineering conference in Puerto Rico, USA in which the researchers provided experimental cranial benchmarking data. This data was compared with computational results provided by 28 research centres worldwide such as Imperial College, London, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Tokyo and Brunel University & Brunel Institute for Bioengineering (BIB).
These pre-clinical in vitro test systems can prove the feasibility of a product or surgical procedure, assess various disease conditions and provide benchmarking data for the validation of computational analyses. A successful in vitro test system can keep animal testing and clinical trials to a minimum.
A number of fully controlled and instrumented synchronised experimental systems have been designed and developed within the Centre. Each has its own or access to a fully instrumented, synchronised data acquisition and control system which monitors flow rates, pressures, wall displacements, temperatures and flow streamlines visualisation. All of the testing rigs are integrated with National Instruments (NI) hardware and software (LabVIEW) that synchronises motion, data acquisition, and vision systems with triggering capabilities of various tasks. The NI system allows full integration with other external measurement instruments. This core expertise is also available to industry through the MET Technology Gateway.
The GMedTech Centre has developed strong track record internationally (Please see publications), which are focused on several key areas:
- Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
- Cranial Aneurysms
- Stroke
- Congenital Heart Disease
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Venous System
- Pulmonary
- Gastrointestinal
- Neuromodulation