Sándor J. Kovács, PhD, MD

Appointments

Professor of Medicine and of Cell Biology and Physiology
Adjunct Professor of Physics
Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Director and Founder, Cardiovascular Biophysics Laboratory, Washington University School of Medicine

Research interests

Mathematical modeling of cardiac diastolic function.

The Cardiovascular Biophysics Laboratory is a theory group. We employ interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary methods of engineering, physics, physiology, clinical cardiology, and biomedical sciences. We solve basic and applied problems in cardiovascular physiology and medicine having immediate translational potential using causal, rather than correlative methodologies. We validate model-predictions using in-vivo, human physiologic data.

We seek to advance the frontiers of diagnosis and therapy, and to serve as an environment for trainees (undergraduate, graduate, medical students, cardiology fellows and postdocs) to acquire and master concepts, to advance the state of knowledge by model-based prediction of ‘new’ physiology from first principles, and participate in physiologic data acquisition and analysis.

Imaging and signal acquisition modalities for model validation include multi-transducer, micromanometric conductance catheter based cardiac catheterization, ventriculography and angiography, echocardiography, and cardiovascular MRI.

Other areas of ongoing investigation include:

Diastolic function assessment via the Parameterized Diastolic Filling (PDF) formalism
Load independent index of diastolic function
Impedance-based diastolic function analysis
Physiologic hyperspace and pressure phase plane analysis of chamber properties
Phase plane analysis of ventricular-vascular coupling
Constant volume attribute of the four-chambered heart and its implications
Kinematic filling efficiency of the left ventricle