SwRI, UTSA CONNECT THROUGH COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH Southwest Research Institute and The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) funded two projects through the Connecting Through Research Partnerships (Connect) program: one to produce cleaner renewable liquid hydrocarbon fuels for transportation, and another to create a computer model of the human heart. SwRI’s Executive Office and UTSA’s Office of the Vice President for Research, Economic Development, and Knowledge Enterprise sponsor the Connect program, which offers grant opportunities to enhance scientific collaboration between the two institutions.
HEART MODELS TO SUPPORT NEW TREATMENTS SwRI and UTSA are collaborating to develop a computer model of the intricate structures of the human heart as part of a larger effort to develop a new, potentially life-saving heart surgery. The work, led by Dr. Keith Bartels of SwRI’s Mechanical Engineering Division and Dr. Hai-Chao Han of UTSA’s College of Engineering, is supported by a $125,000 Connect grant. Within the human heart are numerous small muscle bundles called the trabeculae carneae. Despite their significance in the heart’s anatomy, their function is not well understood and most models of the heart ignore them. As people grow older, heart muscles can grow stiff, reducing efficiency and sometimes resulting in untreatable diastolic heart failure. SwRI and UTSA are scanning cadaver hearts using SwRI’s powerful computer tomography (CT) scanner to inform a potential new surgical intervention. “Capturing the intricate structures of the trabeculae carneae requires something more powerful than an MRI or standard CT
SwRI is using its micro-focus x-ray CT scanner to image the intricate inner structures of the heart. Using these images, an SwRI-UTSA team will develop a computer model of the human heart as part of a larger effort to develop a new, potentially life-saving heart surgery.
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scanner,” Bartels said. “We’ll utilize a micro-focus X-ray CT scanner here at SwRI to create images of explanted human hearts.” The images of the heart’s intricate inner structures will help Han create a realistic anatomical model of the trabeculae carneae, building on a previous model he developed for the left ventricle. “This collaboration with SwRI is a first step toward creating a new surgical method,” Han explained. “The computer model will help provide a much deeper understanding of the trabeculae carneae.” Han has also been working with cardiologist Dr. Marc Feldman at UT Health San Antonio to develop a surgical treatment for subgroups of heart failure patients. This project is a critical step for those efforts. “I hope this work can ultimately improve the quality of people’s lives and even save lives in the long run,” Bartels said. “Heart failure is a major problem that affects millions of people.”
