New cardiovascular simulator for coarctation of the aorta and coarctation-related devices

公司背景：ViVitro Labs Inc.是一家总部位于加拿大的公司，向全球市场提供心血管和血管内设备测试设备和实验室测试。它是唯一一家制造心血管和血管内设备测试模拟器的加拿大公司。ViVitro PulseDuplicator系统是世界上被引用和使用最多的商业心脏和瓣膜设备的体外血流动力学测试系统。需求：虽然ViExro模拟器有能力测试一些心血管疾病和心血管设备，但它们没有能力测试最重要和常见的先天性心血管疾病：主动脉缩窄(COA)。CoA是一种具有多种形态变异的主动脉弓状结构。为了设计、开发、评估和优化COA相关设备，特别是新兴的血管经导管支架，以及开发新的COA诊断方法，迫切需要一个物理COA模拟器。COLLABORATIONOPPORTUNY：这一合作使ViVitro能够研究使用创新方法在其产品组合中增加测试COA和COA相关设备的能力的可行性。方法：该项目使用临床成像数据、图像处理算法以及独特的计算流体动力学和集中参数建模框架来提供通过心脏和循环系统的生理脉动流和压力的详细信息。此信息是开发和验证模拟生理条件的设置所必需的。机会：新的模拟器可以满足希望为COA推出新设备的医疗设备公司的需求。这个模拟器对世界范围内的学术研究也非常有吸引力。这一点尤其重要，因为工业上对血管支架和相关设备的关注正在迅速增长，开发新血管设备的公司数量也在大幅增加。新的模拟器可以帮助ViVitro Labs在血管内设备模拟器的国际市场上脱颖而出，并可以在加拿大创造新的就业机会。

COMPANY BACKGROUND: ViVitro Labs Inc. is a Canadian-based company that has providedcardiovascular and endovascular device test equipment and laboratory testing to a global market. It is the onlyCanadian company making cardiovascular and endovascular device test simulators. The ViVitro PulseDuplicator system is the world's most cited and used in vitro hemodynamic testing system for commercial heartand valve devices. THE NEED: Although the ViVitro simulators have the capability of testing somecardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular devices, they do not have the capability of testing the mostimportant and common congenital cardiovascular pathology: coarctation of the aorta (COA). COA is anarrowing of the aorta with many morphologic variants. A physical COA simulator is much needed fordesigning, developing, evaluating and optimizing COA-related devices, especially the emerging vasculartranscatheter stents, and for developing novel diagnostic methods for COA. COLLABORATIONOPPORTUNITY: This collaboration allows ViVitro to investigate feasibility of adding the capability of testingof COA and COA-related devices to its product portfolio using an innovative approach. METHODOLOGY:This project uses clinical imaging data, image processing algorithms, and a unique computational fluiddynamics and lumped parameter modeling framework to provide details of the physiological pulsatile flow andpressures through the heart and the circulatory system. This information is required for developing andvalidating the setup to simulate the physiological condition. OPPORTUNITY: The new simulator can servetesting needs of medical-device companies that want to introduce new devices for COA. This simulator is alsovery attractive for academic research worldwide. This is particularly important because the industrial focus onvascular transcatheter stents and related devices is rapidly growing and the number of companies developingnew vascular devices is greatly increasing. The new simulator can help ViVitro Labs to differentiate in theinternational market of endovascular device simulators and can create new jobs in Canada.