Project

Computational biomechanics as a tool for personalised medicine

Code
BOF/STA/201909/015
Duration
20 November 2019 → 19 September 2024
Funding
Regional and community funding: Special Research Fund
Research disciplines
  • Engineering and technology
    • Biomedical image processing
    • Biomedical modelling
    • Organ engineering
    • Biofluid mechanics
    • Tissue and organ biomechanics
    • Cell, tissue and organ engineering
Keywords
computational modelling targeted drug delivery minimally invasive interventions planning tools numerical biomechanics cancer
 
Project description

Throughout history, medicine has been largely built on statistical grounds, treating individual patients as members of (potentially heterogeneous) groups, which may result in suboptimal treatment outcomes. Ideally, the general focus should be shifted from the general approach towards a more personalised medicine. This research project’s ambition is to take part in this revolution by using computational biomechanics as a tool for personalised medicine in two main research areas, being cancer and minimally invasive procedures. More specifically, the objectives are: (i) Optimisation and personalisation of targeted drug delivery for cancer treatment (i.e. transarterial drug delivery for liver cancer, intraperitoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal carcinomatosis, and lymphatic delivery), (ii) Development of planning tools for minimally invasive interventions (i.e. robot-assisted partial nephrectomies and neuro-interventional procedures), and (iii) Unravelling the role of biomechanics in diverse other applications (e.g. Fontan-related liver pathologies).