Center for Innovative Cardiovascular Technologies

The medical imaging industry is expanding its interactions with the medical device and pharmaceutical industries, especially in the cardiovascular arena, toward the model of personalized medicine. This raises important questions and opportunities for researchers working in the field of cardiovascular engineering and biology. The clinical success of new cardiovascular technologies depends on breakthrough imaging tools, such as 3D ultrasound, phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging and optical imaging, as well as multi-scale computational modeling tools.

With cardiac surgeons and interventional cardiologists merging skill sets for the well being of patients, the next decade will bring a new specialty. Treatment plans must become personalized, and medical and/or interventional procedures pre-planned using state of the art biomedical technologies.

Georgia Tech’s investments in biomedical engineering research for over two decades have positioned the entire Institute to be a major national player in biomedical research, development and translation to clinical care. Capitalizing on these strengths will also have a tremendous impact on economic development in the State of Georgia. The Center for Innovative Cardiovascular Technologies (CICT) is a key component of Georgia Tech’s overall strategy in Translational Biomedical Research to help make Atlanta a major center for innovations in health care.

Vision & Mission

The Center for Innovative Cardiovascular Technologies (CICT) will bring together the translational cardiac community in the greater Atlanta area.  Designed to be truly translational in its mission, bench to bassinet and bench to bedside, CICT shapes the future of cardiovascular research by training the next generation of cardiovascular technology innovators. Graduate and undergraduate educational programs focus on bio-design, regulatory and clinical affairs, intellectual property and business development.

Goals

Under the umbrella of the College of Engineering, serving as both a resource and a gathering place for Atlanta’s cardiovascular translational research community, CICT is uniquely positioned to make significant contributions to cardiovascular healthcare needs and is the primary resource for companies looking for new ideas and/or assistance in moving research and intellectual property forward into the clinical arena. To accomplish this goal, the Center:

• Acts as the catalyst across the Georgia Tech and Emory campuses to recruit and hire leaders in cardiovascular technologies.
• Develops and designs appropriate “pre-clinical animal models and/or ex-vivo biological models”, as well as clinical trials.
• Creates a strong partnership between engineering and medical/clinical faculty members involved with translational cardiovascular research and technology.
• Serves an “integrating” function for such faculty, to facilitate interdisciplinary translational research and impact health care.
• Takes advantage of the existing strengths at Georgia Tech, Emory University Medical School, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, St. Joseph’s Research Institute and other healthcare providers.
• Serves as “one-stop shopping” for industry partners looking for resources to develop, test, patent and market medical devices.