Engineering for Health
Welcome to the Institute of Biomedical Engineering (IBT) at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). For more than 60 years we have been active in research and teaching in the field of biomedical engineering.
In interdisciplinary projects together with medical doctors and medical industry, we investigate new technical systems that help to diagnose diseases earlier and more accurately as well as systems that make therapies more successful.
The main focus of the research program of Prof. Dr. Werner Nahm's group is optical systems in medicine and life sciences. Current projects are focussing on surgical visualization and optical diagnosis [more].
The group of PD Dr. Axel Loewe develops computational models of the heart and applies them to cardiological problems. We focus on cardiac electrophysiology and elastomechanics to contribute to answer clinical questions such as the genesis of e.g. cardiac arrhythmias and appropriate treatment strategies. Signal processing of cardiac signals (ECG and electrograms), machine learning, and artificial intelligence are further focus fields [more].
From June 17th to June 21st, Stephanie and Silvia attended the Summer School in Bordeaux to deepen their knowledge of cardiac electrophysiology. Engaging lectures and an interactive lab tour at Liryc made this week a remarkable experience.
From June 24 to June 26, the 8th International Conference on Computational and Mathematical Biomedical Engineering (CMBE) took place at the George Mason University in Arlington, Virginia. Our PhD student Stephanie was there to present our work on exploring the potential role of stretch-activated channels in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation in a mini-symposium on innovative computational models and methods for the cardiac function.
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In this study by Oxford University and KIT, various therapies were systematically investigated in 800 virtual patients with atrial fibrillation. The study aims to assign patients in whom pulmonary vein isolation was not successful as an initial therapy to optimal pharmacological and ablation therapies on the basis of in-silico tests. Treatment strategies vary depending on atrial size and the presence of low-voltage areas. In-silico models are a promising tool for individual therapy optimization in atrial fibrillation.
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The 49th edition of the International Congress on Electrocardiology, jointly organized by ISE and ISHNE, was held in Lund, Sweden in June. Axel Loewe presented research at the intersection of mechanistic modeling and machine learning to the mixed clinical/technical audience. As this year marks the centennial of Einthoven's Nobel Prize for the electrocardiogram (ECG), the conference was a perfect occasion to celebrate this invention that remains of utmost relevance for clinical practice and is poised to be propelled to new heights with the advent of artificial intelligence.
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From June 2 to June 4, the Fickle Heart Workshop took place at the Isaac Newton Institute of Mathematical Science in Cambridge, focusing on digital twins, artificial intelligence and uncertainty quantification tools for calibration and forecasting. Axel, Patricia and Stephanie took the opportunity of this workshop to present their work in this field.
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From June 6th to 8th, IBT attended the Atrial Signals Conference in Maastricht. In addition to 4 poster presentations by our PhD students, Axel Loewe presented his visions for the future of computational models of the heart in atrial fibrillation research.
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