The Laboratory for Cardiovascular & Respiratory Biomechanics, in short Cardio lab, hosts a variety of equipment and experimental setups to facilitate the ongoing research in the field of cardiovascular & respiratory biomechanics of the department of department of Biomedical Engineering.
Advanced experimental mock loops are available in the lab, to mimic different parts of the cardiovascular system (e.g. systemic, pulmonary and coronary circulation) and the respiratory system. Mock loop systems are employed to evaluate tissue-engineered constructions under physiological conditions. Moreover, these mock loops enable the development and improvement of techniques for diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Such as cardiac assist devices (e.g. IABP, LVAD) or heart valve replacement. Furthermore, computer models of the cardiovascular system can be validated using the mock loop experiments.
Direct access of the Biomechanics lab offers high-resolution reconstruction possibilities of the microarchitecture of hard tissues (e.g. arterial plaques, biomaterials) by using the microCT scanner. In addition, this lab offers a variety of mechanical testing machines for the mechanical characterization of hard and soft tissues under static and dynamic loading conditions. The measurement of mechanical properties of biological tissues is essential for describing the constitutive behaviour of these tissues in computer models. Combining the mechanical measurements with a 3D computer reconstruction, gives valuable insight in relationships between structural and mechanical properties of cardiovascular tissues.
Access of the PULS/e Laboratory for Photoacoustics & Ultrasound, ensures that also US scanners and Photo acoustics are within easy reach, for visualization purposes. Whereas for histology the Laboratory for Cell & Tissue Engineering and the Microscopy Laboratory are available.
Contact us
-
Assistant Professor
Dr. Ir. Marcel Rutten -
Lab Manager
dr.ir. Maenhout - van Haag, M.