Ellen Roche
Associate Professor, MIT Mechanical Engineering
SENSE.nano 2021
Monday, October 25
Session 1: Movement & Motion
1:50 PM - 2:05 PM EDT
Abstract
The prevalence of single ventricle physiology is estimated to be ~1 in 3000 live births. Currently, the preferred treatment is a series of surgeries resulting in a palliative Fontan physiology. The Fontan circulation connects systemic and pulmonic circuits in series, rather than in parallel, via a surgical connection called the Fontan shunt located in the inferior vena cava (IVC). While this treatment allows patients to survive with a single ventricle, there are a myriad of deleterious effects associated with the Fontan circulation that are precipitated from the abnormal hemodynamics.
Recently, respiratory mechanics have been identified as the governing contributor to changes in Fontan flow patterns and resulting retrograde flow. Development in therapies for Fontan patients, and Fontan survival rates has stagnated over the past 20 years. While there is great interest in identifying and developing interventions for these patients, both invasive and non-invasive, the ability to explore and test potential therapies remains limited. There is no working animal model, nor are there any sophisticated in vitro or in silico models that can recreate the complex Fontan physiology. This gap in the field limits the development of therapeutic solutions.
Roche will discuss how her group builds quantitative tools that can serve as test platforms for interventions for the single ventricle physiology. Her group builds physical testbeds that allow them to quantify the effect of breathing mechanics on hemodynamics in silico, in vitro and validate them with a clinical imaging study in patients at Boston Children’s Hospital. By monitoring critical hemodynamic indicators like IVC retrograde flow, hepatic venous pressure, and cardiac return, they aim to predict potentially beneficial interventions on the benchtop that can allow them to predict the impact of invasive and non-invasive interventions on this patient group.
Biography
Ellen Roche is currently an Associate Professor (W.M Keck Foundation Career Development Professor) at the Institute for Medical Engineering and Science and the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She directs the Therapeutic Technology Design and Development Lab.
Roche completed her PhD at Harvard University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Her research focuses on applying innovative technologies to the development of cardiac devices. Her research includes development of novel devices to repair or augment cardiac function using disruptive approaches such as soft robotics, combination of mechanical actuation with delivery of cell therapy, and use of light activated biodegradable adhesives.
Dr. Roche was employed in the medical device industry for over five years as a research and development engineer and employs her understanding of the medical device industry and the regulatory pathways to medical device commercialization in her academic research. She is the recipient of multiple awards including the Fulbright International Science and Technology Award, the Wellcome Trust Seed Award in Science, an American Heart Association Pre-Doctoral Award, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award, an NIH Trailblazer Award and a Charles H. Hood Award for Excellence in Child Health Research.