Prof. Thomas Franz

Chris Barnard Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa

Programme for the Enhancement of Research Capacity, Research Office, University of Cape Town, Mowbray, South Africa

Centre for Research in Computational and Applied Mechanics, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, South Africa

Centre for High Performance Computing, CSIR, Rosebank, South Africa

Biomechanics and Mechanobiology in Cardiovascular Therapies

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death superseding cancers and infectious diseases such as HIV, tuberculosis and malaria [1]. The risk of CVD has been reported to increase with the improvement of economic wealth and social environment, in particular in Africa [2]. The same study revealed a higher risk for acute myocardial infarction, the leading causes of congestive heart failure, in the black African group in Sub-Saharan Africa due to an increased level of hypertension. The American Heart Association expects a dramatic increase in CVD incidences, in particular in the younger population, in Africa in the near future in conjunction with the emergence of a new epidemic of obesity, diabetes and uncontrolled hypertension [3]. Therapies for CVD reach from purely artificial prostheses, such as mechanical heart valves and synthetic vascular grafts, to tissue engineering and regeneration. The improvement of treatment strategies increasingly requires interdisciplinary approaches. While biomechanics has an established role in some areas of cardiovascular research, such as vascular grafts, prosthetic heart valves, and cardiac assist devices, its importance is only in an emerging state in other fields such as cell therapies. The synergy of a wide range of disciplines such as medicine, biomaterials, cell biology, and computational and applied mechanics offers potential for outstanding benefits in the health sciences. This talk will present examples of research undertaken in the Biomechanics and Mechanobiology Laboratory of the Chris Barnard Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery focusing on scaffold-based vascular tissue regeneration, treatment of myocardial infarction and prevention of infarct-induced heart failure, and cell mechanics.

References

1.NN. World health statistics 2007. 2007, World Health Organization: Geneva

2.Steyn, K., K. Sliwa, S. Hawken, P. Commerford, C. Onen, A. Damasceno, S. Ounpuu, and S. Yusuf, Risk factors associated with myocardial infarction in Africa: the INTERHEART Africa study. Circulation, 2005. 112(23): p. 3554-61.

3.NN. South African heart failure patients younger, female. American Heart Association. Available at: http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=619. Accessed 01/27/2009.

ההרצאה תתקיים ביום רביעי, 25.1.2013, בשעה 14:00,

חדר 315, הבניין הרב-תחומי, אוניברסיטת תל-אביב