Cardiovascular
The heart is an extraordinary electromechanical pump that makes blood circulate and provide oxygen and nutrients to all our cells. This is an essential function for our survival. Disease of the heart and vasculature, referred to as cardiovascular disease, is the number one cause of death globally. To assess the heart鈥檚 condition, both electrically and mechanically, advanced imaging and/or long-term ambulatory monitoring are needed. This is not only relevant for diagnostics, but also for treatment selection, guidance, and response.
At the BM/d lab, we develop new ultrasound and MRI imaging technologies to accurately and reliably assess the cardiac morphology and function, including motion and strain (contraction/relaxation), activation timing, cardiac output, and myocardial perfusion. We are particularly interested in developing autonomous agent-based methods for cognitive image acquisition and reconstruction, as well as accurate downstream tissue characterization, aiming at the assessment of the viscoelastic properties and the detection of areas presenting ischemia (perfusion defect), fibrosis, and oedema.
Our general approach builds on deep understanding and modelling of the full measurement chain (i.e., the signal model), from the underlying (patho)physiology, to the (improved) electronics for versatile and intelligent sensing, up to deep learning and deep generative modelling to learn complex statistical models from data.
Beyond imaging, we work towards long-term monitoring of cardiovascular disease through advances in electrophysiological sensing (such as electrocardiography), photoplethysmography, oxygen saturation measurements, and patch-based wearable ultrasound for continuous flow assessment. A strong focus in our research on long-term cardiovascular monitoring is the use of photoplethysmography in wearable sensors (e.g. smartwatches). Here, we develop innovative methods to characterize e.g. the contractility and pulsatility of the heart in projects centered around heart failure, arrhythmia, and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Our cardiovascular research programs are carried out in collaboration with a number of clinical partners such as the Catharina Hospital Eindhoven, Amsterdam University Medical Center, and the University Medical Center Utrecht. The research program is supported by personal grants (NWO VENI, NWO VIDI, ERC stg) and consortium grants (Dutch Heart Foundation, NWO HTSM and NWO OTP).