National science foundation/engineering research center for emerging cardiovascular technologies

The mission of the National Science Foundation/Engineering Research Center for Emerging Cardiovascular Technologies is to lead discovery and innovation in custom-integrated electronics, sensors, systems design, and simulation to develop a new generation of cardiovascular interventional and imaging systems. The Center's four research thrusts are: Antiarrhythmic Systems, Real-Time 3-D Medical Ultrasonic Imaging, MRI Microscopy, and Sensors. The Center integrates engineering and biomedical researchers and students from Duke, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Case Western Reserve University, and New Mexico State University with industrial investigators into active interdisciplinary research programs. Such integration and interaction between disciplines meet the Center's three major goals: 1) to demonstrate the scientific and technological feasibility of a new generation of cardiovascular interventional and imaging systems; 2) to improve engineering educational programs by expanding the opportunities for engineering students to interact with industrial investigators: and 3) to assist in the direct transfer of research discoveries from university laboratories to industry for technology development.