Maths to help cure people

Winning the Philips prize for Mathematics was quite a surprise for PhDcandidate Julia Mikhal: ‘My work can support medical professionals and help real patient’s worries.’

Never until now was the Philips prize won by a student of the University of Twente. Julia Mikhal changed this fact. Being part of the Multiscale Modeling and Simulation research group, she works on a computational model to study biomedical flows together with her supervisor Professor Bernard Geurts. It’s a fast method of modeling complex vessel shapes and predicting the blood flow inside the human brain, Mikhal explains. ‘It can support medical professionals in their work and provides useful information on real patient’s worries.’

Using the so-called immersed boundary method, Mikhal is able to predict the blood flow and forces acting on blood vessel walls. This is directly related to the risk of rupture of so-called aneurysms, weak sections that may develop along blood vessels. Actual aneurysm shapes differ greatly from person to person. Mikhal’s method is especially suited to address these patient-specific problems.

Balloon shaped

By using computational modeling, Mikhal is able to predict actual velocity profiles in a realistic manner. Themodels clearly present how forces on ‘balloon shaped’ aneurysm are distributed. Mikhal shows some animations of actual blood flow, sitting behind her desk. The actual computations are performed on the national supercomputer at SARA.

Experiments

Learning more about medical imaging techniques and also validating her research results, she also performs scientific experiments at the Signals & Systems group. As a mathematician it helps her to develop a physical intuition forproblem solving, she finds. ‘First I felt a little uncomfortable, now I am beginning to become familiar with all aspects of my project. I am eager to learn more in the coming year.’

Mikhal - originally from Karazin Kharkiv National University in Ukraine - chose for Twente after some positive feedback from fellow students that had discovered interesting PhD projects at the university. ‘The mathematics involved, complimented my education in Kharkiv. I can now apply techniques to the biomedical topic with the feeling of really being able to help people in the future, which is even more satisfying.’

Recognition

Winning the Philips prize, she perceives as a high recognition from experts in the field. She was encouraged to enter the competition by fellow organizers ofthe NMCongress 2011. Mikhal: ‘After sending in my abstract, I was―much to my surprise, selected as one of the six invited to present my work for the jury during a special NMC session. Actually winning the prize is great for me and my future career, but also an important incentive for the work of our UT group. Finally, I presented my work in front of the audience with joy and felt confident.’

Before finishing her PhD education, Julia hopes to make her modeling approach even more realistic, using real blood properties and a model for the slow development of actual aneurysms. In physical reality, the blood vessels are allowed to move in the human brain. And she would also like to run further tests using the flow-program on the brain data of human beings. Still, there is quite some work ahead for the researcher.

Violin

Mikhal: ‘In the summertime, I can participate in a few international conferences and present my work to various audiences.’ A concert tour to Italy with the university symphonic orchestra Musica Silvestra is underway. Her violin and sheet music are on the desk as well. ‘The 19thcentury violin I was able to lend, using the Campus Instrument Fund. I am very grateful for the opportunity, and I’m looking forward to play with my musical friends and also relax in the old town of Florence.’

Egbert van Hattem


Mikhal: 'The computational model presents clearly how the forces are distributed in balloon shaped aneurysms.'