Anatomy- and physiology-based environments for cardiac implant development

The aim of the project is to create virtual and physical development tools that enable research and development work on medical cardiac implants to be tested on a realistic model before being trialled in animal experiments. This should enable a reduction in development time and costs through the early virtual and real-world testing of concepts. The virtual and physical development methods must be integrated to ensure the plausibility and continuous validatability required in medical technology. Whilst this is normally achieved through animal testing, the tools and methods are intended to allow visualisation and testing solely through the integration of animal or human hearts.

In this project, the ICM’s Laboratory for Biofluid Mechanics is focusing on concept development and the construction of a multifunctional in-vitro test rig for the physiological simulation of heart movement. This test rig is designed to accommodate various hearts and heart models, and to offer the option of expanding to include a vascular model.