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Biofluids Lab News (@hatoum_hoda)

**Our lab was awarded $10,000 rapid seedling research award from the GLRC and ICC! **

**Congratulations to PhD candidate Brennan Vogl for being awarded the PhD research award and undergraduate student Emily Vitale for being awarded the Michael R. Neuman research award! **

**Dr. Hoda Hatoum was awarded a $200,000 engineering research initiation grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF)! The project is titled “ERI: Non-Newtonian blood analogs and effect of their rheology on physiological flow stasis in heart valve applications.” This is a potential two-year project. **

**Our paper titled “Effect of Beta Blockers on the Hemodynamics and Thrombotic Risk of Coronary Artery Aneurysms in Kawasaki Disease” is now published in the Journal of translational Cardiovascular Research. In this study, we ran computational simulations to investigate the role of beta blockers on the resulting flow dynamics and thrombosis risk in coronary artery aneurysms in Kawasaki Disease.

Link to paper: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12265-023-10370-0**

**PhD candidate Brennan Vogl was awarded second place for his oral presentation at the Health Research Institute (HRI) Student Forum! This presentation was on our work investigating device related thrombosis after left atrial appendage occlusion using a combined finite element analysis and computational fluid dynamics approach. Congratulations Brennan! https://blogs.mtu.edu/engineering/2023/03/07/engineering-students-sweep-the-oral-presentations-at-the-2023-health-research-institute-forum/ **

**Our editorial “Computational Modeling to Guide Structural Heart Interventions: Measure Twice (or Thrice) but Cut Once” is now published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. Link to paper: https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jcin.2023.01.006

**Our commentary “The impact of local blood residence time in neo-sinus on post transcatheter aortic valve replacement subclinical leaflet thrombosis—a commentary” is now published in the journal of Interdisciplinary CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery.

Link to paper is here: https://academic.oup.com/icvts/article/36/1/ivad012/6992643

**Our paper titled “Effect of Aortic Curvature on Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Performance” where we ran in-vitro experiments and assessed the pressure recovery in physiological aortic curvatures in the presence of a transcatheter aortic valve is now published in the Journal of Biomechanics. Congratulations to Brennan Vogl and to former Biofluids Lab student Rajat Gadhave on this great work!

Link to paper is here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2022.111422 **

**Congratulations to Brennan Vogl for passing his candidacy examination! **

**Dr. Hatoum and PhD student Brennan Vogl attended BMES 2022 in San Antonio from October 12 to 15. Brennan gave an oral presentation on his work on thrombus prediction after implantation of a Watchman device (oral presentation), and presented 2 posters; one on the aortic arch hemodynamics and stroke potential and another on a case study of decreased coronary flow after transcatheter aortic valve replacement. Dr. Hatoum presented a poster on the effect of beta blockers therapy on coronary artery aneurysms hemodynamics**

**We had a blast at #TCT2022!  Brennan Vogl and Alireza Asadbeygi presented their work on left atrial appendage occlusion DRT and coronary aneurysms thrombosis risk assessment, respectively. We had the chance to meet our collaborators (face to face for the 1st time and after a while!) and attend plenty of talks, live cases and clinical trials results. **

**Congratulations to PhD student Brennan Vogl on being awarded a fellowship for Fall 2022 by the Health Research Institute (HRI)!**

**Our paper titled “Predicting hemodynamic indices in coronary artery aneurysms using response surface method: An application in Kawasaki disease” where we developed regression models can be used to ultimately assess the thrombotic risk of coronary artery aneurysm cases from the hemodynamic perspective is now published in Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine Journal! Congratulations to PhD student Alireza Asadbeygi on his first publication! Link to paper is here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169260722003893?dgcid=author**

**Dr. Hatoum presented was invited to present a talk titled “Predicting Outcomes After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement” in the World Congress of Biomechanics (WCB) 2022**

**Huge congratulations to PhD students Brennan Vogl and Alireza Asadbeygi for being awarded the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan Foundation student awards! Excited for them to keep the great work! https://www.bcbsm.com/content/dam/microsites/foundation/Documents/bcbsm-foundation-2022-grant-highlights.pdf **

**PhD students Brennan Vogl and Alireza Asadbeygi attended SB3C 2022 in Maryland and presented their work.

Alireza presented his work “Predicting Hemodynamic Indices in Coronary Artery Aneurysms Using Response Surface Method: An Application in Kawasaki Disease” in the PhD-Level Student Paper Competition Session 1: Biofluid Mechanics and Cardiovascular Imaging.

Brennan Vogl presented: (1) Predicting Valve Performance Using Logistic Regression in the Special Session in Honor of Dr. Ajit Yoganathan and (2) Effect of Aortic Curvature on Bioprosthetic Aortic Valve Performance in the Device and Treatment Implications session.

Dr. Hatoum had a presentation on “Flow Dynamic Differences Between Self-Expanding and Balloon Expandable Transcatheter Aortic Valves” in Dr. Yoganathan’s special session.

Brennan Vogl also presented 2 posters: (1) Flow Dynamics Assessment in a Physiological Aortic Arch Using a Validated Computational Framework and (2) Left Atrial Hemodynamics after Catheter Ablation.

Photo credits: Shelley Chee-Mei Gooden**

**Congratulations to PhD student Brennan Vogl on being awarded the DeVlieg Foundation Fellowship 2022! The Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel and dean were impressed with Brennan’s research, publication record, and contribution to the mission of Michigan Tech.

Link: https://blogs.mtu.edu/gradschool/2022/05/23/devlieg-graduate-summer-2022-research-recipient-brennan-vogl/**

**Our paper “Comparison of Catheterization Versus Echocardiographic Based Gradients in Balloon Expandable Versus Self Expanding Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation” by Michael Biersmith, Nader Makki, Hoda Hatoum et al. is now published in The Journal of Invasive Cardiology. The link to the paper can be found here: https://www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com/site/jic/comparison-catheterization-versus-echocardiographic-based-gradients-balloon-expandable**

**Our paper “A Preliminary Study on the Usage of a Data-Driven Probabilistic Approach to Predict Valve Performance Under Different Physiological Conditions” by Vogl et al. where we present a data driven statistical model that can estimate the probability of a valve not meeting the “safe” pressure gradient (≤ 20 mmHg) under certain physiological conditions using logistic regression is now published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering (ABME). The link to the paper can be found here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10439-022-02971-8**

**Our paper titled “Controlling the Flow Separation in Heart Valves Using Vortex Generators” where we numerically investigated the impact of various Vortex Generators (VG) configurations on a Bileaflet Mechanical Heart Valve (BMHV) to elucidate the underlying flow physics for further understanding of blood damage is now published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering (ABME). The link to the paper can be found here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10439-022-02966-5**

**Our paper titled “Effects of MitraClip Therapy on Mitral Flow Patterns and Vortex Formation: An In Vitro Study” where we assessed the diastolic hemodynamic differences in the flow field in the vicinity of the valve post-MitraClip repair is now published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering (ABME). The link to the paper can be found here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10439-022-02944-x**

**Congratulations to undergraduate student Nick Niemi for starting as a junior biomedical engineer intern at DASI Simulations in Dublin, Ohio! **

**Congratulations to PhD student Brennan Vogl on being awarded the PhD graduate Research Excellence Award and undergraduate student Nick Niemi on the Michael R Neuman Award! So proud of their great contributions to research!**

**Congratulations to PhD student Brennan Vogl on winning the 2nd place for poster presentations at the Graduate Research Colloquium Presentations**

**Our paper titled “Effect of catheter ablation on the hemodynamics of the left atrium” where we explored how patient history, flow dynamics and geometry can help identify the population that is best suited for atrial fibrillation ablation is now published in the Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology! Congratulations to PhD student Brennan Vogl on another great study. Link to paper is here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10840-022-01191-3**

**PhD student Brennan Vogl had an oral presentation at Heart Valve Society (HVS 2022, Miami, FL) titled “Impact Of Blood Pressure Conditions On Coronary Perfusion And Hemodynamics After Aortic Valve Replacement”.

**Dr. Hatoum had an invited talk at Heart Valve Society (HVS 2022) titled “Future Valve Designs to Mitigate Valve Thrombosis”.

**Congratulations to PhD student Alireza Asadbeygi on being a finalist for 2022 ASME-BED/SB3C Student Paper Competition PhD-level! Alireza will present his work as an oral presentation in Maryland in June 2022**.

Take a tour in the Biofluids Lab and get to know what we do! Check the link below:

Play Biomedical Engineering at MTU Gets to the Heart of the Matter video
Preview image for Biomedical Engineering at MTU Gets to the Heart of the Matter video

Biomedical Engineering at MTU Gets to the Heart of the Matter

Dr. Hatoum and Brennan were hosts on Valentine’s Day’s Husky Bites. You can check the recording of the session and the blog under the links below:

Play How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? Flow Dynamics in Arrhythmias video
Preview image for How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? Flow Dynamics in Arrhythmias video

How Can You Mend a Broken Heart? Flow Dynamics in Arrhythmias

**Congratulation to PhD student Brennan Vogl on being awarded 2 travel awards from GSG and HRI to present his work on blood pressure influence after aortic valve replacement on coronary perfusion at the Heart Valve Society (HVS 2022) conference!

**Our paper “Flow dynamics in the sinus and downstream of third and fourth generation balloon expandable transcatheter aortic valves” is now published in the Journal of Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials (JMBBM). Congratulations to PhD student Brennan Vogl! Link to the paper is here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2022.105092

**Our paper “Impact of blood pressure on coronary perfusion and valvular hemodynamics after aortic valve replacement” is now published in Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions (CCI) Journal. Congratulations to PhD student, Brennan Vogl, on his second first-authored paper this year! Link to the paper is here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ccd.30052

**Dr. Hatoum was awarded a Research Excellence Fund (REF) research seed proposal to study hemodynamic factors associated with thromboembolic risk in Kawasaki Disease.

**Our paper “Predictive Model for Thrombus Formation After Transcatheter Valve Replacement” is now published in Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology (CVET).

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S193687982101757X?dgcid=author

**Congratulations to Brennan Vogl for his first first-authored publication “Impact of calcific aortic valve disease on valve mechanics” in the Biomechanics and Modeling in Mechanobiology (BMMB) journal.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10237-021-01527-4

**Our paper “Neosinus and Sinus Flow After Self-Expanding and Balloon-Expandable Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement” is now published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions journal.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S193687982101757X?dgcid=author

**PhD student Brennan Vogl had an oral presentation on “Hemodynamic Assessment Of The New Generation Balloon Expandable Transcatheter Aortic Valve” at BMES 2021.

**PhD student Brennan Vogl had a poster presentation that aims at “Evaluating the impact of ablation on atrial hemodynamics” at BMES 2021.

**PhD student Brennan Vogl and undergraduate student Nick Niemi had a poster presentation on “Effect Of Blood Transfusions On Silent Cerebral Infarctions In Sickle Cell Disease Patients” at BMES 2021.

**Dr. Hatoum had an oral presentation on “Neo-Sinus and Sinus Flows After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation of Evolut, SAPIEN 3, Acurate Neo, and Allegra” at SB3C 2021.

**Brennan Vogl presented his work on the “Effect of Blood Pressure Conditions on Transcatheter Aortic Valve Performance and Coronary Flow” at SB3C 2021.

**Dr. Hatoum received an honorable mention at the American College of Cardiology (ACC 2021) Young Investigator Awards: Basic and Translational Science. The talk was on a novel thrombosis predictive model after transcatheter aortic valve replacement.

**Dr. Hatoum was awarded the Summer of Biomechanics, Bioengineering and Biotransport (SB3C) 2021 Diversity Participation Award. This award has been funded by the Georgia Tech Parker H Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences.

**Nick Niemi was awarded a SURF award to continue working on a novel transcatheter mitral valve device. Congratulations Nick! https://www.mtu.edu/research/about/awards/surf/

Hoda Hatoum Trainees

Current Trainees

Graduate Students

Brennan Vogl

Brennan Vogl
PhD Student in Biomedical Engineering
BS in Biomedical Engineering from Michigan Tech
Email: bjvogl@mtu.edu
Brennan is currently working on atrial, ventricular, and valvular flow assessment and congenital heart defects flow studies. Brennan’s work is experimental and computational. In his free time, Brennan enjoys cooking and downhill skiing.

Aditya Prasad Karmarkar

MS Student in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics
BS in Mechanical Engineering from Shivaji University, Kolhapur, India
Email: akarmark@mtu.edu
Aditya is currently working on the Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion (LAAO) project. His major role is in segmenting CT scans, generating 3D models, and performing computational flow analysis using ANSYS. He also helps in experimentation. In his free time, Aditya enjoys cooking and learning history.

Himja Tiwari
MS Student in Biomedical Engineering
Email: htiwari@mtu.edu
Himja is currently working on computational simulations of coronary aneurysm flow. In her free time, Himja enjoys swimming, table tennis, jogging and sketching.

Undergraduate Students

Emily Vitale
BS Student in Biomedical Engineering
Email: ervitale@mtu.edu
Emily is currently working on on segmenting CT scans for blood flow analysis in LAAO patients with device related thrombosis. In her free time, Emily enjoys playing piano, volleyball, and reading.

Emily Hyatt
BS Student in Biomedical Engineering
Email: ejhyatt@mtu.edu
Emily is currently working on the design and computational simulation of ectasia models. In her free time, she enjoys playing guitar, reading, volunteering, and recently started to learn how to downhill ski.

Grace Hoeppner
BS Student in Biomedical Engineering
Email: gmhoeppn@mtu.edu
Grace is currently working on a hybrid atrial fibrillation ablation project in which real patient data is modeled and analyzed computationally. In her free time she enjoys spending time with family/friends and being outdoors! She is also a member of the Michigan Tech Women’s Soccer Team.

Ian Sousa
BS Student in Biomedical Engineering
Email: idsousa@mtu.edu
Ian is currently investigating the hemodynamics of Kawasaki Disease contingent aneurysms of the coronary arteries in pediatric patients. He enjoys hunting, fishing, lifting, and producing music in his free time. Ian is a player on the Michigan Tech Football team.

Past Trainees

Alireza Asadbeygi

MS Student in Biomedical Engineering
Alireza ran numerical simulations for coronary aneurysms in Kawasaki disease. He enjoys swimming and running in his free time.

Rajat Ratnakar Gadhave

Rajat Ratnakar Gadhave
MS student in the Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Mechanics department

Email: rgadhave@mtu.edu
Rajat was a graduate student who worked in the biofluids lab from Fall 2020 – Fall 2021. Rajat assisted in the design and manufacturing of a whole left heart model with a pulse duplicator testing system. Rajat also worked on projects involving in-vitro characterizations of surgical aortic valve and transcatheter aortic valve performance. Moreover, Rajat worked on creating patient-specific models from computed tomography scans. In his free time, Rajat enjoys exploring.

Shivam Tiwari

Shivam Tiwari
MS Student in Mechanical Engineering
BS in Mechanical Engineering
Email: shivamti@mtu.edu
Shivam worked on CFD and finite element simulations of cerebral vessels for sickle cell disease. In his free time, Shivam enjoys painting, singing, CAD modeling, performing simulations, and sketching.

Nick Niemi

Nick Niemi
BS Student in Biomedical Engineering
Email: nniemi@mtu.edu
Nick worked on designing a novel transcatheter mitral valve device. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, biking, fishing, and hunting. Nick is a member of the Track/XC teams.

Alex MacLean

Alex MacLean
BS Student in Biomedical Engineering
Email: abmaclea@mtu.edu
Alex worked on Finite Element Analysis as part of designing a novel transcatheter mitral valve device. In his free time, Alex enjoys snow skiing, snowmobiling, and hiking.


Hoda Hatoum Profile