Noelia Grande Gutiérrez from the University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering has led the development addressing the lack of data in hemodynamic digital twinning during pregnancy.
Understanding Hemodynamic Digital Twins
Hemodynamic digital twins are virtual representations of how blood flows through the body. They can be used to predict cardiovascular disease risk.
However, collecting measurements of the pregnant utero to inform digital twin models of pregnancy is limited due to safety concerns.
Computational Models for Placenta Flow
Grande Gutiérrez has found an answer by computationally replicating realistic placenta flow. The computational model is a basic functional unit of the human placenta: the placentone.
The team’s research uncovered the anatomical parameters required to ensure a pragmatic, physiological simulation of a healthy pregnancy.
Key Findings on Placenta Hemodynamics
“The effect of a placenta’s anatomic structures on hemodynamics had not been systematically assessed until now,” said Grande Gutiérrez. “Our computational model has enabled us to define physiological parameters for vein location and diameter, cavity diameter and lengths, and spiral artery remodelling length. These guarantee that our models are physiological even though they are not patient-specific.”
This is the first step toward placenta digital twins.
Implications for Pregnancy Health
Armita Najmi, Ph.D. candidate in Grande Gutiérrez’s lab and lead author of the paper, said: “Our computational study on provides practical insight into what a healthy and efficient placentone should look like, and this understanding is necessary for improving our ability to predict and identify pregnancy disorders.”
Future Research and Medical Applications
Moving forward, the team will study the effects of blood flow on the microstructure of the placentone during the second trimester of pregnancy.
The research hemodynamic digital twinning during pregnancy could be used to treat pregnancy disorders such as preeclampsia and intrauterine foetal growth restriction – which have been linked to disordered placenta development.
