Abstract
Cyclical dynamic expansion and contraction are essential to the life-sustaining function of organs, exemplified by the heart and lungs. These continuous movements coupled with complex tissue architecture and composite mechanical properties pose considerable challenges to augmenting impaired organ function. My research is providing paradigm-shifting approaches to overcome those challenges, by blending principles of pathophysiology, biomechanics and mechanical engineering with state-of-the-art materials and robotics. In this talk I will speak about three interrelated research streams (i) augmenting the remaining native function in failing organs and biological systems to restore functionality, (ii) introducing technologies to replace or repair focal deficits in tissues and deliver therapy and (iii) developing physiologically realistic in vitro, in vivo, ex vivo and in silico approaches suitable for testing cardiac or pulmonary technologies. I will review my group’s overarching approach to designing these technologies, and how these endeavors have opened up possibilities for further understanding of the biomechanics associated with their targeted organ systems. I will illustrate exemplary work from each research strand with specific vignettes. Finally, I will discuss the potential impact of our work, and how co-designing multimodal simulation models with clinical and industrial partners can not only lead to enhanced implantable device design and testing, but also to further understanding of the fundamental mechanical influencers of pathophysiology and intervention strategies.
About the Speaker
Ellen Roche is the Latham Family Career Development Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science at MIT. She directs the Therapeutic Technology Design and Development Lab. She completed her PhD at Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Her research focuses on applying innovative technologies to the development of cardiac devices. Her research includes development of novel devices to repair or augment cardiac function using disruptive approaches such as soft robotics. Ellen was employed in the medical device industry for over five years as a research and development engineer and employs her understanding of the medical device industry and the regulatory pathways to medical device commercialization in her academic research. Her work has been published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, Science Translational Medicine, Science Robotics, Advanced Materials among others. She is the recipient of multiple awards including the Fulbright International Science and Technology Award, the Wellcome Trust Seed Award in Science, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, an NIH Trailblazer Award, a Charles H. Hood Award for Excellence in Child Health Research, the LabCentral Ignite Golden Ticket and the inaugural Future Founders Grand Prize.
Host: Professor Shelby Hutchens
