Grant to develop heart health technology
Danny Bluestein, Professor of Biomedical Engineering (BME) in the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Stony Brook University in the US, has been awarded a US$3.8-million grant to develop heart health technology. The grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering will support his proposal ‘Biomechanical Approaches and Technologies for Enhancing TAVR Outcomes’.
TAVR – transcatheter aortic valve replacement – has emerged as an effective therapy for patients with calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD) that are inoperable, as it avoids the need for open heart surgery. Instead, a valve that is collapsed into a stent is delivered and deployed over the diseased valve using a catheter.
“Our translational project aims to develop the next generation of TAVR technology, by combining imaging, computational, and experimental techniques into an optimisation approach that will guide pre-planning and tailor TAVR procedures for achieving significantly better patient outcomes and reduce their ensuing complications,” said Bluestein. “We also aim to offer a disruptive technology – next generation polymeric valves specifically optimised for TAVR.”
Bluestein is partnering with Tel Aviv University and Rabin Medical Center in Israel, and Sarver Heart Center of University of Arizona in the US, on the five-year project.