Our commitment to research and discovery in areas such as heart failure and lung cancer, is best evidenced within our Cardiac Biomechanics, Cardiothoracic Translational Research, and Thoracic Oncology Laboratories. The cardiothoracic surgery division is proud to work with our industry partners as well as the National Institute for Health in seeking to translate clinical discoveries into the practice setting where such work is truly meaningful.
The lab uses the application of mechanical engineering principles in conjunction with cardiac biology, implementing this combination of research to the improvement of cardiac health, to the design and analysis of the diagnosis and/or treatment of cardiac diseases. Specialties of the Lab include:
* Development of Techniques for Minimally Invasive Cardiac
Surgery
* Cardiovascular Monitor Design and Development
* Quantitative Cardiovascular Physiology
* Finite Element Analysis
* Signal Processing and Algorithm Design
Cancer treatment is rapidly proceeding towards the era of personalized medicine where treatment is based on the distinctive molecular characteristics of a patient's tumor. This knowledge will allow patients to receive novel combinations of therapies that will maximize clinical benefit, more accurately predict disease outcome, and allow patients at the highest risk of relapse to receive the most aggressive treatment.
The Thoracic Oncology Lab is pursuing a variety of strategies to treat and cure lung cancer, mesothelioma and esophageal cancer. These include the investigation of molecular pathways such as Wnt and Hh, the role of inflammation in lung carcinogenesis, isolation of lung cancer stems cells, and the Lung Cancer Systems Genetics Project, An Approach to Individualized Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy. Eventually, these efforts will have a major impact on these diseases.
Clinical Trials