Progress, Potential, and Possibilities Podcast / Show Dr. Amy Throckmorton, PhD - BioCirc / Drexel University - Innovating Life-Saving Therapeutic Devices
Dr. Amy Throckmorton, Ph.D. (https://drexel.edu/biomed/faculty/core/ThrockmortonAmy/) is Associate Professor and Director of the BioCirc Research Laboratory, in the School of Biomedical Engineering, Science and Health Systems, at Drexel University. The BioCirc Research Laboratory seeks to improve the treatment strategies and therapeutic options for pediatric and adult patients suffering from acquired or congenital heart disease by developing unique features for inclusion in the design of blood pumps and to develop entirely new designs of blood pumps for patients with single ventricle or biventricular circulations as a bridge-to-transplant, bridge-to-recovery, or destination therapy. Prior to this position, in the Department of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering at the Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Throckmorton served as Associate Professor and previously held the chaired Qimonda Assistant Professorship. Dr. Throckmorton received her PhD and MS in Biomedical Engineering, as well as a BS in Chemical Engineering, from the University of Virginia. After working in the chemical industry, Dr. Throckmorton served as a research assistant from 2000 to 2006 in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Virginia. After receiving her PhD, she worked, as a postdoctoral fellow, on the development of blood-contacting medical devices in the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Throckmorton currently conducts research in experimental and computational fluid mechanics as related to the development of innovative treatment strategies for pediatric and adult patients suffering from heart failure secondary to acquired and congenital heart disease. Therapeutic modalities under development will augment flow and pressure in the: 1) cavopulmonary circulation (pulmonary circulatory support) in patients with single ventricle physiology, and 2) systemic circulation in patients with single ventricle or biventricular circulations as a bridge-to-recovery or transplant. Dr. Throckmorton's research addresses complex and unresolved hurdles in the field of congenital heart disease and mechanical circulatory support. Core areas of her research include the application of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) under steady and transient rotational flow conditions, hydraulic performance testing of prototypes for validation of CFD predictions, blood bag experimentation, and animal testing. This research combines broad expertise in engineering, pediatric cardiology, adult cardiology, congenital heart surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, and medical device design and manufacturing.