ELCACT/BME Faculty Candidate Seminar: Noelia Grande Gutierrez, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania

Patient-specific Computational Modeling for Thrombotic Risk Stratification

Abstract: Computational methods are emerging in cardiovascular medicine as valuable tools for diagnosis, treatment optimization and quantification of disease progression. Thrombosis is the main complication associated with cardiovascular disease, resulting in myocardial infarction and stroke, the leading causes of death globally. Understanding how clot formation and growth are affected by hemodynamics and other patient-specific factors will allow us to design the best risk stratification metrics and devise therapies specifically tailored for each patient. To that end, I investigate the process of thrombosis through the identification of new mechanistic insights based on computational models. I will present an image-based computational framework that combines a deep understanding of cardiovascular physiology with advanced numerical methods and high-performance computing to obtain patient-specific hemodynamic data relevant to thrombotic risk stratification. In particular, I will discuss applications in coronary artery aneurysms thrombosis. Finally, I will introduce strategies to help bridge the gap between macroscale hemodynamics and microscale biology, toward a multiscale and patient-specific thrombosis model.

Bio: Noelia Grande Gutiérrez is a postdoctoral research fellow in the Diamond Lab, at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is developing a new multiscale computational framework that will allow investigating patient-specific thrombosis in coronary artery disease patients, from initial platelet deposition to artery occlusion. Her research interests lie at the intersection of computational engineering and cardiovascular medicine, and involve the development and application of multiphysics models that contribute to support clinical decision making and provide novel insight into cardiovascular disease. She graduated with a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford University in 2019. She obtained a master's in engineering sciences from UC San Diego, a master's degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Barcelona and a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the Technical University of Madrid. Grande Gutiérrez has been awarded fellowships from the American Heart Association and "la Caixa" Foundation.