Multi-Scale Biomechanics of the Tricuspid Valve
Located between the right atrium and the right ventricle of the heart, the tricuspid valve prevents blood backflow during systole. Our team members have developed a bench-top beating heart model to measure valve deformation (see video below). We have also quantified the valve structural and mechanical properties. Dr. Amini’s team aims to understand how alteration of valve mechanical loading leads to microstructural and cellular responses.
Ocular Biomechanics and Biotransport
We have conducted studies to quantify biomechanical properties of normal and glaucomatous ocular tissues. They aim to better understand the mechanical interaction between the iris and aqueous humor and its relation to glaucoma pathophysiology. Our lab has also developed in-vivo image-based computational model to quantify the mechanical properties of the trabecular meshwork, another tissue important in development of glaucoma. Finally, our team has been developing computational models of the ocular globe to assess the risks associated with the intravitreal gas injection, a procedure that may be performed in patients suffering from retinal detachment.
Brain Biomechanics
Along with collaborators at the Conquer Chiari Research Center (CCRC), Dr. Amini’s team members have been developing a brain motion assessment tool, based on cine displacement-encoded stimulation echo magnetic resonance imaging technique. They aim to evaluate the brain tissue displacement and strain in type I Chiari malformation patients.
Gastrointestinal Biomechanics
Our team has conducted experiments to characterize intestinal tissue mechanical properties in order to construct computer models of tissue deformation. They will subsequently use this model to evaluate intestinal malrotation. A computer model of malrotation is necessary to predict which physical factors predispose a patient to developing midgut volvulus, one of the most critical abdominal emergencies in the pediatric population.