Helmholtz-Institute for Biomedical Engineering
at the Aachen University of Technology

Head and Director: Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Dipl.-Ing. G. Rau

Biomedical engineering can be characterised by its primary goal: to apply the knowledge, methods and processes of engineering and natural sciences to medical problems. The Aachen University of Technology (Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule, RWTH), offers outstanding opportunities for biomedical engineering due to its Medical Faculty and unique medical and clinical facilities. Since its foundation in 1971, the Helmholtz-Institute of Bio-medical Engineering at Aachen (HIA), which is affiliated with the RWTH, operates as a bridge between the engineering and natural sciences and the medical disciplines. For this reason, the Institute was named after Hermann von Helmholtz (1821-1894), a scientific pioneer who among other merits introduced the exact sciences to physiology and medicine in a multidisciplinary way.

The Helmholtz-Institute actively cooperates with the faculties of the RWTH, particularly the Medical Faculty. A number of joint research projects and jointly advised doctoral dissertations in medicine, engineering and the natural sciences have resulted from this cooperation. Moreover, the proximity of the new Klinikum (University clinic) to the Institute, provides our students with close contact to the field of medical application. The Klinikum is unsurpassed in its ability to unite research facilities, medical education and patient care. With its 1500 beds, it is also a major hospital. The Helmholtz-Institute is also adjacent to the new centre for industrial settlement in the area of medical engineering and technologies, operated by the Aachen Society for Innovation and Technology Transfer (Aachener Gesellschaft für Innovation und Technologietransfer mbH, AGIT), which facilitates the transfer of research and development results to industry. The Helmholtz-Institute is a central constituent of the recently founded Center of Medical Technology (Medizin-technisches Zentrum, MTZ) in Aachen, which fosters cooperation among research institutes, clinics and medical industry.

The Helmholtz-Institute's primary research activities focus upon the medical field and, in particular, aim to solve clinically-oriented problems requiring an interdisciplinary approach. The Institute also supports technical assistance during the development and clinical testing of such projects. In addition, cooperation with industrial partners provides the Institute with the opportunity to address research and development as well as testing, integration and validation of new technologies and methods for clinical usage.

The Helmholtz-lnstitute is supported by the Research Society for Biomedical Engineering (For-schungsgesellschaft für Biomed-izinische Technik e. V., Aachen) and is financed by the State of Northrhine-Westfalia. Despite a restricted financial contribution by the state government the number of employees could be kept due to funding of five research projects by the European Commission.
Fig.1 Intravasal micro-axial-blood pump developed at the Helmholtz-Institute for acute cardiac support.

The Helmholtz-Institute allows a large number of students the opportunity to contribute to interdisciplinary research projects by working on an academic thesis. The majority of these students have backgrounds in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, and computer science, medicine and biology. In addition, the Helmholtz-Institute offers a series of lectures which introduces students to the field of biomedical engineering.

Research within the Helmholtz-Institute is performed within five complementary work groups with the following topics:

Biomechanics:

  1. cardiovascular fluidmechanics (experimental and numerical)
  2. function and fluidmechanics of prosthetic heart valves
  3. basic research in cavitation phenomena at mechanical heart valve prostheses
  4. biodegradation of biological heart valve prostheses
  5. testing of heart valves and blood pumps under certification aspects (according to ISO and FDA Standards) in cooperation with authorised bodies
  6. development and testing of blood pumps including CAD-design, FEM-stress calculations, manufacturing and testing
  7. displacement blood pumps, pneumatic and electromechanical (LVAD, RVAD, TAH)
  8. rotary blood pumps (centrifugal, axial, diagonal)
  9. flow optimisation of blood conducting parts or devices
  10. processing of biocompatible materials
  11. characterisation of biomaterials with respect to biocompatibility and biodegradation
  12. measurement techniques in orthodontics

Cryobiology:

  1. long-term stabilisation of enzymes, living biological cells, tissues and engineered tissues by cryopreservation and freeze-drying and study of the mechanisms involved.
  2. development of a cryopreservation procedure for red blood cells with the biodegradable additive hydroxyethyl starch for autologous blood supply in case of elective operations and safer and time-independent homologous blood supply.
  3. minimally-invasive MR-controlled cryosurgical tumor destruction.
  4. development of bioresorbable collagen sponges with defined pore structure by directional solidification and vacuum-drying as medical implants. Cultivation of cells within these matrices in order to produce so called 'bio-hybrids' (tissue engineering).
  5. experimental and numerical analysis of heat and mass transfer during cooling and drying of biological materials.
  6. cryomicroscopical characterisation of ice crystal morphology in cryoprotective solutions and of the interaction between ice crystals and biological cells
Fig. 2 Microcarrier with attached keratinocytes prior to cyropreservation as the viable component of a new epidermis transplant

Biophysical measurement techniques:

  1. non-invasive measurement, processing, evaluation, and interpretation of physiological signals, examinations on of control mechanisms and signal transmission of the skeletal neuro-muscular system
  2. advanced examination (peristalsis, pH, etc.) aimed to improve the medical diagnosis of food transportation in the gastrointestinal tract
  3. analysis of the fundamental effects of electromagnetic fields on cells, tissues, organisms and technical implants
  4. analysis of voluntary movements of the arm-hand-finger system (grabbing and aiming movements) with respect to diagnosis and rehabilitation

Ergonomics in medicine:

  1. improvement of the usability of medical-technical devices for critical care (monitoring devices and respirators)
  2. development of integrated display and 'intelligent alarms' for decision support during surgery and intensive care
  3. design and evaluation of multi-modal user interfaces (e.g. touch input or speech in- and output) for high dependency environments
  4. design and evaluation of methods and tools for ergonomic design of medical technical devices
Fig. 3 Analysis of movement
and muscle activity of the
lower extremities

Surgical therapy technology:

  1. ergonomic analysis and optimisation of surgical work systems and environments in particular within the areas of endoscopic and computer assisted orthopaedic surgery
  2. design and evaluation of 3D visualisation techniques (3D-endoscopy, VR-simulators) including fundamental research on physiological aspects of 3D-(video) visualisation
  3. surgical planning systems for computer assisted orthopaedic surgery
  4. development of individual templates for a precise transfer of surgical planning towards intraoperative surgical execution
  5. development of passive and active medical robotic systems for computer assisted surgery
Fig. 4 Evaluation of an intelligent alarm system designed to support the anaesthetist during cardiac surgery
Fig. 5 Surgical planning and simulated execution of a cystic puncture using the first labtype of a compact robot for orthopaedic surgery

Additional information about the institute and actual topics of research are available via the worldwide web
http://www.rwthaachen.de/hia/Ww/ homeE.html

Correspondence:
Univ.-Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Günter Rau
Helmholtz-Institute for Biomedical Engineering at the RWTH Aachen
Pauwelsstraþe 20
D-52074 Aachen

Email: Ilangohr@hia.rwth-aachen.de
Website: http://www.rwth-aachen.de/hia/Ww/homeE.html