Cooper Innovation Center Researchers Collaborate to Patent a First of its Kind Ultrasound Pressure Technology to Study Heart and Vascular Function

(Camden, NJ) - Cardiovascular researchers at Cooper University Health Care have discovered a revolutionary new technology that has the potential to fundamentally change how clinicians study heart and vascular function.

Lawrence Mulligan, PhD, FAHA, director of research in the Department of Anesthesiology at Cooper and Associate Professor at Cooper Medical School of Rowan University, in collaboration with Jeffrey Hill, Sc, ACS, FASE, advanced cardiac sonographer and assistant professor of cardiac ultrasound at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University in Worcester, Massachusetts, have developed a patent-pending technology called Myocardial Work Quantification, which has the potential to usher in a new era in cardiovascular research. This noninvasive technology merges cardiac ultrasound images and blood pressure in a way that could revolutionize the field.

Using a special blood pressure device that is worn on the arm, Myocardial Work Quantification simultaneously captures blood pressure and two-dimensional cardiac ultrasound images to create a pressure-strain loop. The technology provides insights into the heart's ability to contract against the aorta before a patient becomes symptomatic and their disease advances. This simple technology can be used to diagnosis a wide range of diseases, without the need for invasive heart studies in the cardiac catheterization laboratory.

Mulligan and Hill's collaboration began in the fall of 2022. Their discussions on merging heart contraction and aortic pressure led to a breakthrough after eight months of intense configuration and calibration.

"It was advantageous that Dr. Mulligan and I met," said Hill. "His expertise in heart function and hemodynamics and vascular disease, coupled with my expertise in advanced cardiac ultrasound techniques, paved the way for the creation of a first-of-its-kind technology that will revolutionize how we study cardiovascular health."

Dr. Mulligan added, "The journey of this study was far from easy and was riddled with challenges. We met by phone or virtually nearly seven days a week and were at the point of giving up, but our patience and perseverance allowed for the successful creation of this model which has the potential to change how clinicians study heart and vascular function, and ultimately benefit patients."

The first successful research phase was conducted at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences University in the spring of 2023. The study results demonstrated the feasibility of the proof-of-concept in a small group of health subjects, and were overwhelmingly positive, marking the first successful application of this groundbreaking technology. The research was accepted for publication in the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography, a peer-reviewed journal. The research team was also invited to provide an oral presentation on the technology at the American Society of Echocardiography's Annual Scientific Sessions in June 2024.

Building on the success of the pilot study, a second phase of the study involving an intervention with low-impact exercise is underway to further validate the efficacy and reliability of the technology, and to study changes in heart and vascular function. The exercise study is a crucial step in the validation process of the technology Mulligan and Hill hope will lead to a large-scale clinical trial.

The development of this project is being managed through the Cooper Innovation Center, which was founded in 2022 to advance biomedical research and technologies developed by Cooper physicians and researchers and through collaboration with industry.

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