In an exciting breakthrough in the study of heart disease and its treatment, Dassault Systèmes today announced its role in the creation of the world’s first realistic 3D simulation model of the human heart.
The model was developed by a multidisciplinary team of heart experts working to combat cardiovascular disease. The goal of the “Living Heart Project” is to develop better methods of diagnosing, treating and preventing heart conditions through personalized, 3D virtual models.
SIMULIA software used to create simulated heart model
At the center of the project is a comprehensive 3D heart model created by simulation experts at Dassault using its SIMULIA simulation software. The 3D heart model captures the electrical and mechanical behavior of the heart in a very realistic way.
Today, the lack of realistic 3D human models limits researchers’ ability to predict device behavior in humans. The Living Heart Project has attracted a multidisciplinary community of medical researchers, practitioners, device manufacturers and industry regulators who will have access to 3D computational models to accelerate the translation of research innovation into market-driven products and services.
Using echocardiogram, MRI and CT scan images, along with cardiac research data, personalized 3D heart simulations will soon allow medical professionals to better understand the behavior of a patient’s heart without the need for additional invasive diagnostic procedures.
This realistic human heart simulation will not only become a valuable educational and translational tool to incite research innovation, but may also lead to accelerated regulatory approval cycles, reduced development costs for new and more personalized devices and will ultimately enable early diagnoses and improve treatment outcomes.
“The Living Heart Project is a leading example of the value and potential for realistic simulation to significantly impact healthcare in a positive way,“ noted Bill Murray, president and CEO, Medical Device Innovation Consortium. “The Living Heart Project is a model for how collaborations can work to advance regulatory science in the medical device industry and improve patient access to cutting-edge medical technology.”
