The PhD defence will be partially digital, at Simula Research Laboratory, Hans Petter Langtangen Lecture Hall, and streamed directly using Zoom. The host of the session will moderate the technicalities while the chair of the defence will moderate the disputation.
Ex auditorio questions: the chair of the defence will invite the attending audience at Kristen Nygaards sal to ask ex auditorio questions.
Trial lecture
- Tuesday 22 November 2022, 11.15 AM,
Simula Research Laboratory, Hans Petter Langtangen Lecture Hall (Kristian Augusts Gate 23) / Zoom
- Join the trial lecture
- Title: "Multiscale models of the heart: perspectives and challenges"
Main research findings
The thesis focuses on investigating cardiac mechanics on a microscale. We consider mechanical processes applicable when zooming in from the heart to a scale where the individualcells are visible – and not so much zoomed in that we go inside a single cell.
The first part focuses on the development of a new computational mechanical model for cardiac tissue. We here consider cardiomyocytes surrounded by an extracellular matrix. Mechanical single-cell models exist – but none take into account the extracellular matrix nor the interaction between multiple cells. In our work, we extend the scope from single to over 100 cells. We also show that matrix stiffness has a massive impact on cardiac stresses under contraction, which might further be used to understand how small changes to the matrix induced by diseases affect the overall cardiac function.
The last part is performed in collaboration with experimentalists and demonstrates how image analysis and computational models can be used to assess the mechanics of cardiac microtissues developed in microphysiological systems. Microphysiological systems might, in particular, be used in drug development studies. The metrics utilized in our papers might be helpful for assessing changes in cardiac contractility for these purposes
Figure: 3 x 3 x 3 cardiomyocytes surrounded by an extracellular matrix
Adjudication committee:
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Professor Rodrigo Weber dos Santos, Federal University of Juiz de Fora, ICE – Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Brazil
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Professor Paola F. Antonietti, Politecnico di Milano, MOX – Laboratory for modeling and scientific computing, Italy
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Professor Are Magnus Bruaset, Simula Research Laboratory and University of Oslo, Department of Informatics, Norway
Supervisors
- Professor Aslak Tveito, Simula Research Laboratory
- Chief Research Scientist Samuel T. Wall, Simula Research Laboratory
- Professor Kevin E. Healy, University of California, Berkeley
- Research Professor Molly Maleckar, Simula Research Laboratory
- Research Engineer Henrik Finsberg, Simula Research Laboratory
Chair of defence
Professor Dag Langmyhr, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo
Candidate contact information: https://github.com/aashildte/
Contact information to Department: Pernille Adine Nordby