CardioPump: A Game-Changer in Cardiovascular Research

Dr. Nimish Kapoor

The cardiovascular system is complex, making it difficult to fully understand heart functions and diagnose diseases. Since experimenting on a living heart isn't practical, invitro studies are crucial. To address this, two IIT Kharagpur researchers, Shri Sumanta Laha and Shri Pulak Kumar Ray, cofounded a startup Florigin Technology Private Limited (FTPL) and created the CardioPump. This innovative device, with precise digital control and sensors, helps study the heart and cardiac diseases more effectively. Available in single and dualchamber versions, the CardioPump offers an affordable solution for cardiovascular research, including testing implants like Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs), heart valves and stents, making it more accessible for laboratories.

Shri Pulak and Shri Sumanta explain, "Our goal is to create a low cost, high quality research tool to advance cardiovascular research and test implantable prosthetic devices. Heart transplants are limited by donor availability and existing Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) are often too expensive."

Globally, there is ongoing research to develop affordable implantable devices, which must undergo rigorous testing before being used in humans. Traditionally, this testing is done on animal models, but this approach involves legal and ethical challenges, as well as risks to the animals.

The CardioPump addresses these challenges by supporting various accessories that can simulate the entire cardio-vascular system. It also includes a specialised prosthetics tester module for evaluating implantable devices. This innovation not only speeds up research and development but also provides a reliable simulation platform to predict surgical outcomes and reduce risks. By accurately simulating potential complications, the CardioPump can help medical professionals prepare for complex cardio-vascular surgeries, improving patient safety. The startup aims to promote innovation in cardio-vascular engineering, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and enhancing education in this field.

Understanding the Innovation

·       The CardioPump introduces ground-breaking innovations in cardiovascular engineering with its electromechanical analog design, calibrated to simulate physiologically accurate flow pulsation for various species.

·       It features programmable stepper motors and an interactive touchscreen input panel, allowing precise control over heart rate, stroke volume and other physiological parameters for unprecedented customisation.

·       Interchangeable chambers, including an anatomically accurate left ventricle, enhance blood flow simulation, while transparent valves provide realtime insights into cardiovascular mechanics.

·       A dedicated prosthetics tester module enables comprehensive evaluations of implantable devices, filling a critical gap in testing platforms.

·       A patient specific 3D printed transparent aorta is included for realistic simulations, offer-ing deeper insights into prosthetic interactions with the cardiovascular system.

·       To accurately simulate the cardiovascular system's flexible vasculature and valves, a meshless, particle based fluid structure interaction model is used, effectively simulating blood flow and the movement of these flexible components.

·       This advanced simulation model results in more accurate predictions of complex cardiovascular interventions

What Sets CardioPump Apart?

The CardioPump stands out in the global market for cardio-vascular research tools, disting-uishing itself from international competitors like Pulse Duplicator from Canada and Harvard Blood Pumps from the US. What sets CardioPump apart is its combination of advanced features and significantly lower cost, making it the only import substitute in India. Its innovative design includes programmable features, interchangeable chambers, transparent valves and a dedicated prosthetics tester module, providing exceptional value for researchers and practitioners in cardiovascular engineering. This makes comprehensive simulations more accessible and affordable.

"One of our biggest challenges was competing with established healthcare giants. These multi-national corporations have vast resources, extensive R&D facilities and a strong market pre-sence. But we believed in the strength of our innovation and the value of our products. We focused on creating high quality, affordable healthcare solutions tailored to the specific needs of the Indian population," said the innovator duo.

Stakeholders and Market

Identifying Stakeholders and Market: The development of CardioPump centered on identifying key stakeholders and the target market. Recognising the significant commercialisation potential in India, the team focused on creating a unique, cost effective solution for cardiovascular research and medical device testing. They engaged with the medical community, including research laboratories, hospitals and academic institutions, to understand their needs and challenges in cardiovascular simulations and testing.

Market Readiness and Validation: As CardioPump approaches market readiness, prototypes are undergoing rigorous laboratory testing. To validate the target market, the team is conducting medical trials at various hospitals in Kolkata and Ahmedabad. Feedback from these trials emphasised the importance of clinical accuracy and usability, which has been incorporated into CardioPump's design. Its status as the only import substitute for such advanced devices in India gives it a competitive edge, reducing dependency on costly inter-national alternatives. This ad-vantage has been further validated by positive reception from stakeholders, who appreciate the potential for local manufacturing, distribution and collaborative ventures.

Impact on Healthcare Industry: CardioPump is set to revolutionise the testing of cardiovascular prosthetics such as mechanical heart valves, ventricular assist devices and stents. By offering a more efficient and reliable testing platform, CardioPump will stream-line current research processes and pave the way for future advancements in artificial cardiovascular solutions. This innovation will create new opportunities in medical research and business, significantly advancing the field of cardiovascular implantable prosthetics in India.

Comprehensive Training Module: CardioPump includes a training module designed to enhance the skills of the medical and paramedical workforce. This module allows healthcare pro-fessionals to understand normal and abnormal heart operations without the need for live heart experimentation. By facilitating easier and more accurate testing of cardiovascular prosthetics and providing vital training, CardioPump supports ongoing and future research while empowering healthcare professionals, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes and a deeper understanding of heart functions.

National Importance and Accessibility: CardioPump holds immense national importance in advancing cardio-vascular research and health-care innovation in India. By providing a cost-effective tool for invitro cardiovascular experiments, CardioPump addresses the complexities of cardiac research and supports the development of implantable prosthetics like artificial heart valves and Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs). This initiative reduces reliance on imports and enhances accessibility to advanced cardiovascular technologies for the Indian population.

Groundbreaking Advancement: CardioPump represents a significant breakthrough in cardiovascular engineering. This innovative device is designed to test heart-related devices like mechanical heart valves and stents more efficiently and reliably, aiding researchers in making advancements in artificial heart solutions. It also includes a training module to educate healthcare professionals about heart functions, improving patient care and understanding of heart diseases. CardioPump is crucial for India's progress in heart research and healthcare, making advanced heart technologies more accessible and reducing reliance on imports.

Overcoming Research Challenges: Designed to address financial and practical challenges in cardiovascular research, expanding opportunities for studying severe heart failure.

Reducing Surgical Risks: The CardioPump helps minimise the risks and uncertainties of complex surgeries by providing accurate simulation tools.

Cost Effective Solutions: Available in single chamber and dual chamber versions, the CardioPump offers an affordable solution for heart research.

Comprehensive Simulations: Capable of simulating the entire cardiovascular system, it includes a tester module for evaluating devices like heart valves and stents.

Accessibility for Researchers: By making heart research more accessible and affordable, the CardioPump supports researchers and laboratories in advancing their work.

The Startup's Journey

Journey of the startup is interesting and far from straightforward. Both Shri Pulak and Shri Sumanta, the cofounders of Florigin Technology, are fulltime PhD students at IIT Kharagpur where they incorporated the startup. Research often ends with published papers or academic prototypes, but they were committed to using their developed technology for societal benefit and they have stayed true to this goal.

The duo reveals, "In 2020, studying at IIT Kharagpur, we found ourselves at the crossroads of a dream and a challenge. Deeply involved in research and development, we had a vision to impact the healthcare sector significantly. Our goal was to bring cutting edge advancements from our research labs to the broader market, aiming to reduce the heavy dependence on costly imports and make healthcare solutions more affordable and accessible in India".

However, the journey to transform this vision into reality was far from straightforward. They say, "As scholars, we faced the initial hurdle of institutional restrictions for scholars' involvement in commercial ventures. This meant that despite our innovative ideas and willingness to work hard, we were unable to officially register our company for two long years."

Meanwhile, the COVID19 pandemic brought a halt to everything. Finally, in July 2022, after navigating through various hurdles, they succeeded in registering their startup-Florigin Technology Private Limited (FTPL).

Initially, they had no clue how to create a marketready product or manage commercial aspects. A key turning point was receiving the prestigious GYTI national award for their laboratory developed system. This recognition provided a significant boost to their startup. The initial motivation came from Prof. Anil Gupta of the GIAN foundation and their dream came true with the guidance of Prof. P. K. Das from IIT Kharagpur. When scholars duo almost developed their initial working prototype, they got an opportunity from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India to showcase their development at the Centre State Science Conclave at Ahmedabad in 2022.

The startup was honoured with the GYTI national award for the prototype of CardioPump, along with a financial grant of Rs.15 lakhs from SITAREBIRAC. Additionally, they have secured a patent for a similar lab prototype through their parent institution, IIT Kharagpur.

Now, the startup is moving forward to the final production of the CardioPump. A surgical simulation platform is also ready and set to tackle challenges from clinicians. This startup will soon foster significant advancements and leave a remarkable footprint in the MedTech sector.

(The author is a science communication specialist. Feedback on this article can be sent to feedback.employment news@gmail.com)

Views expressed are personal.