The simulation could help predict heart diseases

May 20, 2010 14:58 GMT  ·  By
The left coronary arteries show the ramification of vessels and the red blood cells flowing in one sub-region. The longest coronary arteries have a size of a few centimeters and the red blood cells have a linear size of about 10 microns
   The left coronary arteries show the ramification of vessels and the red blood cells flowing in one sub-region. The longest coronary arteries have a size of a few centimeters and the red blood cells have a linear size of about 10 microns

A group of Swiss experts, based at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), announce the development of a new 3D simulation software, that could in the near future be used to predict a patient's risk of developing heart diseases. The team, based at the EPFL Laboratory of Multiscale Modeling of Materials, says that the model is especially suitable for detecting whether an individual is at increased risk of suffering a heart attack in the future. The innovation could assist millions of people worldwide, who official statistics show suffer from such afflictions at one point in their lives.

The world was conducted using EPFL's Cadmos supercomputer that was installed at the research institute in August 2009. Since then, the LMMM team has been hard at work for creating a software capable of mimicking the complex actions and interactions of the human cardiovascular system. While it may seem fairly straightforward at first, the blood flow is actually a very complex mechanism, and one that requires analysis be conducted at extremely small scales. This is precisely what the science group did. Their new simulation allows for a 10-micrometer resolution, the equivalent of ten millionths of a meter, experts say.

“When studying the blood flow in arteries, one has to take into account a vast number of different fluid interactions that happen on different time scales and of different sizes,” says LMMM expert and project leader Simone Melchionna. She adds that the EPFL supercomputer takes roughly six hours to create a personalized blood flow model, which is only valid for the individual being analyzed. The goal of personal medicine is, therefore, brought a small step closer as well. Due to its efficiency, the software is currently being modified by the Swiss group to run on common desktop computers. This will allow clinicians and healthcare experts around the world to benefit from its advantages in their practices and hospitals. The modifications will be done in two to three years, Mechionna believes.

The reason why the software is so good at what is does is the fact that it can calculate numerous complex actions, processes and phenomena at the same time. “We can evaluate all of the elements and how they interact with each other; move, stagnate and whirl and turn over each other,” the group leader explains. The Cadmos supercomputer uses more than 16,000 microprocessors – the rough equivalent of about 8,000 individual computers – and is the key element in an investment strategy designed by the EPFL in collaboration with the University of Geneva and the University of Lausanne.