Valentine’s Day is here and hearts are in abundance. But his February 14th isn’t the only day to think about Hart. February is American Heart Month, which is dedicated to raising awareness about cardiovascular health and heart disease, the leading cause of death in Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Understanding heart disease is a year-round endeavor for a group of researchers at the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science. Ali Azadani, associate professor and director of the DU Cardiovascular Biomechanics Institute, and his colleagues are developing new and innovative treatments that can improve the health and lives of millions of Americans and people around the world. We are working on the development of cardiovascular implants.
In an interview with the DU Newsroom, Azadani opined about the need for cardiovascular research and the potential impact of new treatments and technologies. This conversation has been edited for clarity.
Why is heart disease such an important area of research?
Cardiovascular disease affects millions of people in the United States and around the world, posing a significant public health challenge. These diseases are multifactorial, highlighting the need for better understanding and providing more efficient treatment options. Although significant improvements have been made in the past few decades, the potential for more effective and safer treatments still exists today thanks to advanced technology and engineering tools.
What are the biggest challenges in developing treatments and other interventions to reduce the impact of heart disease?
The development of therapies and interventions to treat cardiovascular disease is complex and involves multiple factors. Heart disease is widespread, and each disease and individual patient presents unique challenges. The complexity of these diseases makes it difficult to identify a one-size-fits-all solution.
Patients also respond differently to treatment. The goal is to customize treatments based on each patient’s unique characteristics, but this is difficult to do at scale. Additionally, developing and implementing new treatments is costly and can impact their availability to a broader population. Therefore, making effective interventions affordable and available remains a major challenge.
How does your work help individual patients?
Since 2013, our laboratory has focused on applied and translational research in cardiovascular engineering. Our research projects explore various aspects of structural heart disease, including the development of patient-specific treatment strategies and transcatheter heart valve replacement. We have expertise in computational modeling and simulation techniques and have access to state-of-the-art equipment.
These resources make it possible to perform comprehensive and detailed analyzes of cardiovascular structures and hemodynamics and develop patient-specific simulations to study various clinical scenarios. Incorporating these models into clinical practice may improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms.
What is the role of technology in patient-specific care of heart disease?
Engineering tools in the lab allow us to investigate the performance of cardiovascular devices, such as transcatheter heart valves and blood pumps, in a variety of scenarios. When designing new treatments and medical devices, it is essential to identify, analyze, and mitigate various risks. It is common to focus on the most frequently encountered usage scenarios related to a particular therapy or medical device. However, it is essential to consider the widest range of possible worst-case scenarios. These tools can expand your ability to tailor interventions and treatments to individual needs.
One of our ongoing projects involves the development of a prototype implantable heart pump for patients with preserved ejection fraction heart failure (HFpEF). Can you explain what HRpEF is and how implants can impact a patient’s life?
Heart failure is characterized by the inability of the heart muscle to pump enough blood to meet the body’s oxygen and nutrient needs. When the heart is functioning normally but lacks the flexibility to fill properly, it is called heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). HFpEF is caused by chronic medical conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Common symptoms of HFpEF include shortness of breath during physical activity or at rest, fatigue, chest discomfort, and swelling of the legs.
HFpEF affects more than 33 million people in the developed world, including approximately 3.1 million Americans. Due to the aging of the population, the prevalence of HFpEF is expected to increase by nearly 50% within the next decade. As no standard effective treatment has been established, there is a movement to develop and evaluate device-based treatments.
We are collaborating with Cardiost, a Denver-based startup, to develop a left atrial unloading device (LAUD). LAUD is a fully implantable system with a cardiac assist pump that draws blood from the left atrium and injects it into the descending aorta, reducing left atrial pressure and increasing cardiac output. The long-term goal is to commercialize this device, as no such treatment currently exists. The Colorado Department of Economic Development and International Trade is supporting this project.
What would you like the DU community to know about the work of the DU Cardiovascular Biomechanics Laboratory?
DU recently achieved Research 1 (R1) classification, and biomechanics is a strategic initiative of the Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, aligning with our laboratory’s expertise and research interests. This allows us to make meaningful contributions to ongoing efforts and collaborate with like-minded experts.
We embrace the philosophy: “To achieve all that is possible, you must try the impossible.” This principle inspires us to boldly explore new frontiers and continuously strive for excellence in research activities in cardiovascular biomechanics. For the past ten years, I have been dedicated to advising and mentoring undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, facilitating their growth and development. Our research pursuits have yielded exciting results and innovations. I encourage interested students to contact me directly to learn about ongoing research projects.
