The VPHi member, CristĆ³bal Bertoglio, from University of Groningen has recently been awarded an ERC Starting Grant, called CardioZoom that aims to make possible quantitative MRIs of thin cardiovascular structures at very short MRI scan times.
Computational modeling of the cardiovascular system has already shown promising results in improving clinical outcomes in few diseases. The preferred choice for cardiovascular data is Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). Unfortunately, MRI is not reliable for imaging the kinematics of thin structures like valves, arterial, atrial and right-ventricular walls, or they involve long and complex scans for the left-ventricle.
The ambition of Bertoglioā€™s research CardioZoom is to bring forth novel methods for personalizing the computational models for these challenging anatomical structures, but also from simple and very short MRI scan times, and without compromising the reliability of the personalized models. If successful, the project may lead to new means of studying cardiovascular disease and potential new diagnostic tools.
Additional information can be found here