Professor Edwin van Beek
Chair in Clinical Radiology
Most of the research is aimed at developing quantifiable measurements related to lung parenchymal and cardiovascular disorders in order to have the tools for assessment of severity of disease and the response to (novel) treatments. In addition, much of this work is aimed at reducing the requirements of ionising radiation (whether by using novel techniques in CT or by using MRI) or need for invasive procedures (e.g. CT instead of invasive angiography or MRE instead of liver biopsy), thus allowing more intensive monitoring to become available as required. Furthermore, we are developing tools within the Molecular Imaging domain, such as the development of new tracers for inflammation, neovascularity and perfusion (both CRIC driven and through partnership with commercial entities). Lastly, retinal imaging is being introduced to study its potential role as a biomarker in systemic diseases, including atherosclerosis and diabetes.
For further information, please see individual pages through Edinburgh Research Explorer
Dr Miguel O. Bernabeu
Chancellors Fellow
My current research interests concern the study of vascular remodelling during angiogenesis in order to identify molecular targets for its regulation (in close collaboration with research groups at the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, and the Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Lisbon). In addition, I’m exploring the translational potential of these findings for the treatment diabetic retinopathy with collaborators at the Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School. We are currently running a pilot study for the identification of diabetic retinopathy biomarkers based on image processing and computational blood flow models. My research is interdisciplinary in nature and involves several complementary lines of work: image processing for the analysis and reconstruction of vascular networks, development of multiscale mathematical models of vascular biomechanics and mechanobiology, parametrisation of these models based on experimental data at the cellular and subcellular levels (e.g. protein expression and signalling pathways), parallel implementation of these models and execution in large scale High Performance Computing resources, and data analytics for the integration of simulation and experimental results.
Dr John Christy
Senior Lecturer
Recent advances in polyurethane heart-valve technology and in bileaflet valve designs, along with reported failures in the ability of animal trials to identify potential incidence of thrombosis, have led to renewed interest in alternative means of pre-clinical testing of heart valves. Successful development of an ultrasonic imaging technique, coupled with our milk-based, in-vitro, thrombogenicity assessment procedure (the only blood-free thrombogenicity assessment procedure world-wide), offer the scope for real-time analysis of clot deposition. This, along with velocimetry studies using the complementary techniques of PIV and LDV, will offer valve developers new means of pre-clinical evaluation of valves. Currently a wide range of valves are being tested with our milk clotting test to confirm the degree to which this test matches thrombosis in-vivo. This work is to be supplemented by micro-analysis of milk clot and thrombus to determine the relationship between structural aspects of clot deposition and flow phenomena. The availability of cryogenic microscopy facilities in the Division of Biology make Edinburgh the ideal location for this research. Advances in applying PIV to micro-scale systems, in conjunction with Physics (Greated), offers scope for combined PIV/LDV studies of flow in the hinge pockets of tilting disc valves (eg St. Jude Medical Valve) to evaluate the accuracy of current techniques for predicting turbulent shear stresses. This is important in valve development, because high shear is associated with thrombus formation.
For further information, please see individual pages through Edinburgh Research Explorer
Dr Noel Conlisk
Research Associate
Research interests:
- VPH-SHARE
- The MA3RS clinical trial
- Cardiovascular Biomechanics
- Orthopaedic Biomechanics
- Finite element mesh generation from medical imaging data (CT/MRI)
- Patient specific modelling
- Design and manufacture of in vitro test apparatus
- Scripting and high performance computing
- 3D model creation with CAD and 3D printing
For further information, please see individual pages
Dr Rachael Forsythe
Clinical Research Fellow
Current research focus: Molecular Imaging in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Disease: MRI and PET-CT to Predict Aneurysm Expansion and Rupture.
For further information, please see individual pages
Dr Takeshi Fujisawa
Research Fellow
My current research focus is on the phenotypical and functional characterisation of circulating endothelial progenitor cells, as well as, determining the origin of late outgrowth endothelial cells (EOC), which have the closest phenotype to mature endothelial cells among currently identified circulating endothelial progenitor cells. I'm broadly interested in the flow model available to mimic physiological circulating conditions to study phenotypic changes in endothelial cells.
For further information, please see individual pages through Edinburgh Research Explorer
Dr Dimitrios Gerogiorgis
Lecturer
Specialties include:
- Pharmaceutical Process Systems Engineering
- Oil & Gas and Energy Systems Modelling and Optimisation
- High-Temperature Materials Processing Optimisation
For further information, please see individual pages through Edinburgh Research Explorer
Professor Peter Hoskins
Personal Chair in Medical Physics and Biomechanics
Research interests include ultrasound blood flow and wall mechanics methods for clinical and pre-clinical use, experimental flow systems for haemodynamics and validation of imaging-based measurements, patient specific modelling in arteries, elastography (ultrasound, MRE and elastography simulation).
For further information, please see individual pages through Edinburgh Research Explorer
Dr Timm Krueger
Chancellor's Fellow
Research interests include particle sorting and separation for the diagnosis of diseases, the lattice-Boltzmann method and its applications, suspension rheology and the mechanisms affecting the viscosity of dense suspensions, and modelling and simulation of complex fluids such as emulsions, suspensions of deformable particles or red blood cells in microfluidic devices.
For further information, please see individual pages through Edinburgh Research Explorer
Dr Tom MacGillivray
Senior Research Fellow
Current research interests:
- Development of novel image processing algorithms for use in cutting-edge medical imaging and clinical research
- Retinal image analysis combining multiple modes of scanning - fundus camera, Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscope, OCT, Auto Fluorescence
- Advance retinal analysis algorithm development - see VAMPIRE project for more details
- Retinal imaging derived biomarker identification for neurodegeneration and systemic disease
- Hub specialist equipment and expertise for performing retinal imaging and analysis via the Clinical Research Imaging Centre and CCBS - creating a world-leading Retinal Imaging Core Lab
- Engage with Industry in improving the acquisition and broadening the application of retinal imaging
- Develop retinal imaging as an effective way of monitoring disease severity or progression in neurodegeneration and other disease for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes
- For further information, please see individual pages through Edinburgh Research Explorer
Dr Prashant Valluri
Senior Lecturer
My work centres around the development of understanding and models for complex flow patterns to tackle various industrial problems like cleaning, oil-gas transport, slurry transport, distillation, absorption, thermal management of microdevices and biological problems such as deposition of plaque in arteries and growth of cancerous tumors. Research includes multiphase and single-phase fluid dynamics and transport phenomena, stability theory and turbulence, process design and intensification and biological fluid dynamics and material science.
For further information, please see individual pages through Edinburgh Research Explorer