Roles
Assistant Professor
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Biography
Dr. Wei Wu received his doctoral degree from Dalian University of Technology. He completed postdoctoral training at Nanyang Technological University, Politecnico di Milano, and the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is currently an assistant professor (tenure-track) in the Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. In addition to his academic role, he serves as chief engineer at the Center for Digital Cardiovascular Innovations.
He has special research interests in vascular biomechanics, medical image processing and modeling, fluid–structure interaction, and patient-specific simulations for cardiovascular interventions. His work emphasizes computational modeling and simulation in biomedical engineering, particularly for the design, performance evaluation, and fatigue analysis of medical devices such as stents and valves. This includes studying fatigue behavior in NiTi stents, debonding in coated bioresorbable stents, degradation processes in magnesium alloy stents, peeling of polymer coatings, biomechanical effects on stent fatigue resistance (e.g., plaque shape and in vivo loading conditions), texture effects on magnesium biodegradable stents, and experimental validation of numerical models.
Dr. Wu's recent works, particularly from 2019 onward, have advanced patient-specific computational tools and AI integration for cardiovascular treatments. For instance, in 2019, he co-authored “In vivo and in vitro evaluation of a biodegradable magnesium vascular stent designed by shape optimization strategy” (published in Biomaterials, cited 145 times), which demonstrated the feasibility of shape-optimized magnesium stents through rigorous testing, showing improved structural integrity, degradation rates, and biocompatibility in animal models. This study combined finite element analysis with experimental validation to optimize stent design for better clinical performance.
His more current efforts, as highlighted in 2024 research initiatives at the Center for Digital Cardiovascular Innovations, focus on leveraging AI and advanced simulations for real-time clinical applications. He leads the development of 3D digital twins of patients' coronary arteries derived from 2D imaging data, enabling personalized simulations of complex coronary artery disease scenarios. These models incorporate fluid–structure interactions to predict stent deployment outcomes, hemodynamic changes (e.g., blood flow patterns post-implantation), and potential complications. By integrating AI, Dr. Wu aims to reduce simulation times from hours to minutes, facilitating intraoperative decision-making in cardiac catheterization labs. Additionally, his research extends to optimizing coronary artery bypass graft surgeries through virtual scenario testing, improving graft placement, flow dynamics, and long-term patency rates to enhance patient outcomes in high-risk cardiovascular interventions.
Earlier foundational works include highly cited studies such as “Stent expansion in curved vessel and their interactions: a finite element analysis” (2007, Journal of Biomechanics, cited 209 times), which explored mechanical interactions in curved vessels, and “Finite element shape optimization for biodegradable magnesium alloy stents” (2010, Annals of Biomedical Engineering, cited 155 times), which introduced optimization techniques for degradable stents. Overall, his research bridges mechanical engineering, computational modeling, and clinical cardiology, with over 2,038 citations across his body of work. -
Publications
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