In May of 2018, I started to work with the Artificial Heart and Cardiovascular Fluid Dynamics Laboratory at Penn State. I have worked with accelerated wear tester that we have here at our Penn State lab. This device does the in vitro testing of heart valve replacements at an increased rate, usually 900 beats per minute. I have done high speed imaging of bioprosthetic valves in the accelerated wear tester, which were used to calculate the effective orifice area of the valve at different places in the opening and closing process of the leaflets.

Currently, I am working on creating a blood analog fluid that can be used in flow loops containing a bioprosthetic valves. Blood analog fluids used in flow loops and other research methods are designed to be clear and replicate blood viscosity and refractive index of acrylic. This allows for accurate measuring and testing with LDV and PIV methods. However, the blood analog fluid the lab normally normally uses, a mixture of glycerin, xanthan gum,  and sodium iodine, can lead to adverse affects with the tissues making up the valves. Creating a cell safe fluid that matches the measurable properties of blood will allow for accurate measurement of the flow dynamics and properties of the bioprosthetic valves. To test the fluids I am creating, I have to use a viscometer and a refractometer to find candidate fluids that have the ideal viscoelastic and refractive properties.  Determining if the fluids are cell safe required culturing the cells of porcine heart valves and applying a toxicity testing to see if the fluid is harmful to the cells. Ideally, a blood analog fluid that matches the properties of blood and does not harm the cells of bioprosthetic valves will be the outcome of this testing.