9602180 Kamm This award provides funds to permit Dr. Roger D. Kamm, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, to pursue with Dr. Byoung-Goo Min, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Seoul National University, for 24 months, a program of cooperative research for the development of computational fluid dynamic methods that can be used to assist in the design and optimization of cardiac assist devices. The U.S. investigator brings his experience with use of computational methods for the analysis of flow in the cardiovascular system, using methods appropriate both for three-dimensional, unsteady flows with moving boundaries of the type that occur in the chambers of the artificial heart or the ventricle. The Korean collaborator and his research team bring to the research their considerable experience in the development of a total artificial heart, extending from fabrication of the device to implantation and long-term testing in large animals. An important component of this research is the experimental verification and extension of the numerical simulations using both laser Doppler anemometry and particle image velocimetry. The combined expertise of this group of collaborators will help in the development of techniques that can be used in the design of the next generation of cardiac assist devices which can be optimized with regard to the flow field to reduce the tendencies for thrombus formation and hemolysis, while minimizing the power requirements of the device. Previous research on implantable heart assist devices has produced many successes, but has not yet lead to a reliable total artificial heart. This project is based on the premise that the next generation of heart assist technology will require new tools that draw upon newly developed capabilities in computational methods and experimentation. The collaborators in this project expect to develop these computational tools. The project brings together Korean experts i n biomedical engineering and medicine and U.S. experts in computational fluid dynamics. Together they will attempt to develop a smaller, more reliable, and more efficient left ventricular assist device. This project is relevant to the objectives of the U.S.-Korea Cooperative Science Program which seeks to increase the level of cooperation between U.S. and Korean scientists and engineers through the exchange of scientific information, ideas, skills, and techniques and through collaboration on problems of mutual benefit. This project provides an international research experience for a U.S. graduate student. Korean participation is supported by the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF). ***
