What a fantastic week at the Electrophysiology Summer School in Bordeaux! ๐ซ๐ท
It was an incredible week full of learning and amazing networking opportunities.
The program offered a mix of theoretical and experimental sessions led by experts in electrophysiology, along with a clinical perspective of the field.
A big thank you to the Universitรฉ de Bordeaux and the IHU LIRYC - Heart rhythm disease Institute for hosting us.
Thanks also to Linz Lab for In-Silico Medical Interventions for allowing me to participate in this event!
In our latest study, we used computational modeling to investigate how return cannula design can influence recirculation and oxygen delivery in veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO).ย
VV-ECMO is a life-support technique that temporarily replaces lung function ๐ซ by oxygenating blood outside the body and returning it to the venous circulation in patients with severe respiratory failure. However, not all of this oxygen-rich blood reaches the systemic circulation. A portion can be immediately drawn back into the drainage cannula and recirculate through the ECMO circuit. This phenomenon is known as recirculation, and it reduces the overall efficiency of oxygen delivery.
Using computational modelling ๐ป, we compared commercial returning cannulas with our novel performance-driven designs across different ECMO flow rates. Results show that cannula design has a significant impact on VV-ECMO performance, especially at higher flow rates. In particular, our prototypes with closed tips showed reduced recirculation and increased oxygen saturation, without a noticeable increase in complications such as thrombosis or hemolysis.
Thus, our findings suggest that there is still room for improvement in return cannula design, and that some of our proposed designs could improve VV-ECMO performance, mainly in patients who depend heavily on full respiratory support due to severely impaired lung function.
This work also highlights the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration ๐ค, and we are grateful to the entire team from for their contributions. Many thanks to Beata Ondrusova, Argyrios Petras, Johannes Szasz, Jens Meier, and Luca Gerardo-Giorda! We look forward to continuing this collaboration and bringing these results closer to clinical use ๐.ย
This work was supported by LIT SeedPlusMED ECMOPT from JKU โ LIT Open Innovation Center.ย
Full paper: https://lnkd.in/deUHfdM9ย ย
LinzLab website: https://lnkd.in/ekrHK43B
Our colleague Argyrios Petras participated in the 9th CMBE: Computational and Mathematical Biomedical Engineering - International Conference Series (#CMBE2026), held in Kobe, Japan ๐ฏ๐ต, from June 22โ24. #CMBE2026 brought together leading researchers, academics, practitioners, and graduate students from diverse disciplines to discuss the latest advances in computational biomedical engineering.
๐ค During the conference, Argyrios chaired the mini-symposium "Personalization and Uncertainty Quantification in Digital Twins for Medical Applications," which he co-organized with Matthias G., Elias Karabelas, and Sebastian Brandstรคter. The symposium focused on cutting-edge methods for quantifying and propagating uncertainties in medical digital twins, as well as strategies for model personalization through detailed anatomical modeling and multi-patient studies.
๐ซ In addition, Argyrios presented research conducted in collaboration with his PhD student, Luca Pasini, introducing a computational framework for personalized monopolar cardiac pulsed field ablation (PFA). Their work integrates contact mechanics and electric field simulations within anatomically realistic, pig-specific geometries to predict lesion formation during monopolar cardiac PFA, contributing to the development of more personalized and reliable treatment planning.
Congratulations to Argyrios and Luca on sharing their latest research at #CMBE2026, and thanks to the organizers for a great conference! ๐
๐ฅ Turning a Barbecue into a Research Project ๐ฅ
Every year, the รH JKU barbecue brings together students and staff of the Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences at Johannes Kepler Universitรคt Linz for an afternoon of great food ๐ย andย fun activities ๐.
One tradition is especially hard to miss: a whole pig slowly roasting on the grill. Watching it roast sparked a question: How does heat actually propagate through an entire pig during the cooking process? ๐คย
This year, we decided to go beyond curiosity and investigate it scientifically. As part of her bachelor's thesis, Katharina Buchmayr developed a thermal simulation of the roasting process, modeling how heat spreads through the pig over time. Kathi presented her results right at the barbecue, connecting computational modeling ๐ป with a real-world (and tasty ๐) problem.ย ย
She was joined by her supervisors, Luca Gerardo-Giorda and Argyrios Petras, as well as Beata Ondrusova, Minha Anees, Luca Pasini, Aldo Karamani, Rainer Schelling, Giuseppe Mallo and Nikolaos T. who came to support her presentation ๐.ย
Although roasting a pig is far from a clinical application, the same computational methods are used to model heat transfer in biological tissue and support the development of thermal treatment strategies. ๐ฅ
Thank you Michela Sabbatino for being part of our lab over the last three months! Best of luck with your future plans ๐, and we hope to see you again soon ๐
I have just concluded an incredible 3-month research period at Linz Lab for In-Silico Medical Interventions at JKU in Linz. ๐
During these months, I had the opportunity to deeply focus on my research, specifically working on the mathematical modelling of West Nile Virus spread using FEM techniques in Emilia-Romagna (Italy). ๐ฆ ๐ฆ๐
Thank you so much to everyone in the lab for the guidance, support, for making me feel at home from day one and the great coffee breaks. โ
Iโm incredibly glad for the time spent here, and who knows... maybe Iโll be back someday! โณ
Looking forward to what comes next! ๐ฅ
๐ Our colleague Minha Anees Msc recently participated in the 194th European Study Group with Industry (ESGI), a workshop organized by Weierstrass Institute in Berlin that brings together mathematicians and industry partners to address practical challenges. During the week, participants worked in teams to address problems submitted by industry partners and presented their results at the end of the workshop.
๐ Minha was part of an international team working on a challenge proposed by the Berlin-based company 1KOMMA5ยฐ. The project focused on energy market optimization and the integration of renewable energy sources โก
๐Although the energy sector is outside her usual field of work, the workshop was a valuable opportunity for Minha to apply her mathematical expertise in a new domain and collaborate with researchers and industry professionals from different backgrounds on a real-world challenge.
๐ We would like to thank the organizers for their work in running this workshop and maintaining a long-standing initiative that has brought together academia and industry since 1968!ย
More information on ESGI: https://lnkd.in/d8shGkrP
LinzLabย Website: https://lnkd.in/ekrHK43B
๐ Meet Our New Visitors: Aldo and Giuseppeย ๐
We are delighted to warmly welcome our new visitors, Aldo Karamani and Giuseppe Mallo ๐
Both are currently pursuing a Masterโs degree in Data Science and Engineering at Politecnico di Torino ๐, where they also completed their Bachelorโs degree in Computer Engineering. In our lab, they are both working under the supervision of Davide Baroli.
Aldo Karamani is undertaking an internship focused on AI-driven cardiac image segmentation ๐ซ. The project aims to reduce the time and cost associated with manual annotation of cardiac CT and MRI images by developing and evaluating machine learning models for automated and AI-assisted segmentation. Outside of his academic work, Aldo enjoys bodyweight training and calisthenics ๐ช. He sees these activities as a way to develop discipline, consistency, body control, and patience.
Giuseppe Mallo is undertaking an internship focused on investigating the mechanisms underlying proliferation and disease progression in colorectal cancer ๐งฌ. The goal of his work is to identify key drivers of tumor growth and metastasis. The project leverages data from patient-derived organoids and addresses these tasks through the use of AI and deep learning models. Outside the lab, Giuseppe is passionate about singing ๐ค, which he sees as a powerful way to communicate emotions and stories through live performance.
We hope that during their stay theyโll be able to strengthen their technical and scientific skills, while also finding time to keep growing and enjoying the things theyโre passionate about ๐ฑ
๐ง Are you interested in how computational modelling can shape the future of medicine?ย Letโsย get in touch!
๐ฌ We are looking for talented postdoctoral researchers who would like to join us in Linz through the ๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐ธล๐ผ๐ฑ๐ผ๐๐๐ธ๐ฎ-๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ ๐๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ (๐ ๐ฆ๐๐) ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐๐ฑ๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ผ๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ๐ programme. We are happy to support strong candidates in preparing an MSCA application.
โญ MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships are highly competitive, but there is also an excellent opportunity for researchers whose proposals receive a Seal of Excellence!
๐ก Through the ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐-๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ผ๐๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฝ@๐ข๐๐๐ช ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐บ๐ฒ, successful applicants can receive funding for the full duration of their proposed MSCA European Postdoctoral Fellowship project and join the OEAW. This is, therefore, a perfect opportunity to join us if you prepare and submit your MSCA proposal with us, and your proposal is not directly funded but receives a Seal of Excellence.
โณThe deadline for MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships is 9 September 2026.ย ย
๐ If you are working at the intersection of computational modelling and biomedical research, ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ผ๐ป!
๐ฃ And if you know someone who might be interested, please help us spread the word!
MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships 2026:ย https://lnkd.in/eDpeBr-J
The Seal of Excellence Post-Doctoralย Fellowship:ย https://lnkd.in/dNcMJPhQ
LinzLabย Website:ย https://lnkd.in/ekrHK43Bย
