SBIR-STTR Award

ResearchSouth is proposing research and development of new biocomputing technology that will enable automated CFD-based design optimizing of biomedical devices. The proposed project will develop innovative software that combines the best technologies available in aerospace optimization with those in cardiovascular device development. Preliminary work by the offerors has demonstrated the effectiveness of such a design approach when applied to new and existing rotary cardiac- assist devices. We anticipate this project to provide a rational basis for analyzing and optimizing biomedical devices with respect to blood hemolysis and thrombosis. In Phase I, we will use automated shape optimization to minimize blood hemolysis in a hemodialysis connector and experimentally validate the results, and we will begin the design and development of next-generation CFD-based design optimization software. In Phase II, a user-friendly commercial-quality software package specifically customized for design and analysis of blood- carrying devices will be implemented. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: The potential users of this design software include any individual, group, or company engaged in biomedical device development. Our software will be the first commercial product to incorporate practical blood damage models for biomedical device analysis and design applications. The majority of the design optimization software tools developed in this project will find immediate application in the aerospace, automotive, and turbomachinery fields.

Thesaurus Terms:
bioengineering /biomedical engineering, computer graphics /printing, computer program /software, computer system design /evaluation, mathematics biomedical automation, fluid flow, hemodynamics, hemolysis

The successful Phase I SBIR program has developed new technology that will enable automated CFD-based design optimization of biomedical devices. The project has developed innovative software that combines the best technologies available in aerospace optimization with those in cardiovascular device development. The Phase I work has clearly demonstrated the effectiveness of such a design approach when applied to new and existing cardiac-assist devices. An automated shape optimization code was run to minimize blood hemolysis in a hemodialysis connector and experimentally validated the results. The computation was verified as being correct and accurate and the agreement with actual experimental data is excellent. The design and development of next- generation CFD-based design optimization software was also started. All Phase I objectives were met or exceeded and proof-of-concept was established. In Phase II, the biomedical significance of the CFD-based design technology will be demonstrated by minimizing hemolysis in clinically realistic biomedical devices via automated geometry shape optimization. A user-friendly commercial-quality software package specifically customized for design and analysis of blood-carrying devices will also be fully implemented. The potential users of this design software include any group engaged in biomedical device development. The software will be the first commercial product to incorporate practical blood damage models for biomedical device analysis and design applications.

Thesaurus Terms:
Bioengineering /Biomedical Engineering, Cardiovascular System, Clinical Biomedical Equipment, Computer Graphics /Printing, Computer Program /Software, Computer System Design /Evaluation, Mathematics Biomedical Automation, Fluid Flow, Hemodynamics, Hemolysis