Multifunctional soft robotic devices and cardiac benchtop models for improved therapy delivery and development

Abstract

The goal of this thesis research is to improve patient-specific therapy by designing and developing (1) a suite of multifunctional implantable therapy delivery devices with dynamic drug delivery capabilities, and (2) a high-fidelity benchtop model that recreates cardiac anatomy and physiology. Part 1 involves the development of implantable, soft robotic devices that can dynamically respond to their local in vivo environment to trigger or modify therapy delivery according to patient-specific anatomy and patient-specific physiological signals. Part 2 involves the development of benchtop models of the left atrium and left atrial appendage that enable device testing, development, and procedural training, and replicate (patho)physiological hemodynamics and motion. Taken together, this thesis research aims to create new therapeutic approaches that allow for patient-specific therapy delivery in response to each patient’s precise needs, and to support the development of future therapeutic approaches through the creation of new simulators that enable more personalized device testing and validation before deployment in a clinical setting.