MedE Special Seminar
Abstract:
Function and duration of vascular access for hemodialysis treatment is the most important clinical problem in these patients. Arteriovenous fistula with native vessels is the recommended strategy, but it is affected by early failure and short duration. Vascular access failure is predominantly related to development of intimal hyperplasia. We studied the role of hemodynamics on development of initial hyperplasia in arteriovenous fistulas using idealized vascular models as well as patient-specific models. We also investigated the response of endothelial cells in vitro to flow conditions derived from areas of the vascular access that are prone to develop intimal hyperplasia.
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Bio:
Andrea Remuzzi graduated in Biomedical Engineering, at the Polytechnic of Milan in 1979. From1982 to 1984 he was visiting scientist at M.I.T. (Fluid Mechanical Laboratory and Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Womens' Hospital). From 1984 to 1999 he was a research investigator at the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan and Bergamo. From the 1999 he is the Head of the Department of Bioengineering of the "Mario Negri" Institute in Bergamo, Italy. During the period 1998-2007 he was also contract professor at the Polytechnic University of Milan, Department of Bioengineering.
From 2007 he is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Bergamo. His research activity resulted in over 150 publications on international scientific journals on several topics of bioengineering, biophysics, renal and vascular pathophysiology. He has conducted educational endeavours, organizing and managing several events, teaching activities at high educational level (University) and as tutor of PhD students. Main areas of interest of Andrea Remuzzi range from engineering to pathophysiology in the field of transport phenomena in biological systems (filtration of macromolecules, interaction between circulating cells and vascular wall, characterization of the motion of blood in large vessels and in the microcirculation), effect of shear stress on endothelial cell function, morphometrical analysis of the ultrastructure of the glomerular capillary, computational fluid dynamics in large arteries and in the microcirculation, pancreatic cell transplantation in experimental models of insulin dependent diabetes and tissue engineering. He has been head of ten research projects at national and European level.