Dec. 15 — The RIKEN HPCI Program for Computational Life Sciences, along with the University of Tokyo and other institutions, has released a new video that graphically introduces the UT-Heart Simulator, a powerful new heart simulation that runs on RIKEN’s K computer. The video can be seen on the website of the Program for Computational Life Sciences, at http://www.scls.riken.jp/en/.

When making clinical decisions, doctors must be able to integrate physical and laboratory findings to visualize the status of each patient. To make this process more efficient and accurate, the University of Tokyo-based team has developed a heart simulator, called UT-Heart, which uses the power of the K computer to reproduce the contraction and relaxation of the heart and accompanying blood flow based on the molecular mechanisms of excitation-contraction coupling. The simulator is based on the finite element method (FEM) and involves solving the equations describing the electrical activity, solid mechanics, and fluid dynamics involved in the cardiac function.

In the heart simulator, contraction and relaxation of muscle are reproduced based on the statistical behavior of molecules, which in turn is strongly coupled with the computation of blood flow and pressure. By reproducing a highly realistic human heart in a computer with behavior that closely follows the physical and physiological principles, the simulator can help doctors choose the best treatment option for heart disease patients by accurately predicting its outcome. In fact, projects to determine the optimal strategy for individual patients by performing computer-based tailor-made cardiac surgery are already underway in collaboration with cardiac surgeons.

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Source: RIKEN