The award was announced during the Closing Ceremony of the VPH2024 Conference in Stuttgart, where Sara presented her work on In silico high-fidelity and surrogate models of the thrombectomy procedure
We are thrilled to announce that the VPHi Best Thesis Award 2024 goes to Sara Bridio from Politecnico di Milano for her outstanding PhD thesis titled "In silico high-fidelity and surrogate models of the thrombectomy procedure."
The award was announced during the Closing Ceremony of the VPH2024 Conference in Stuttgart, where Sara presented her work to the audience.
Sara’s research focused on improving the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), a condition caused by a blockage in a cerebral artery that can lead to severe neurological damage. Mechanical thrombectomy (MT), a minimally invasive procedure to remove the clot, has become the standard treatment, but it still poses risks of complications. Sara’s thesis aimed to develop in silico models of MT to support clinical decision-making and improve patient outcomes.
Her work combined high-fidelity finite element models and surrogate machine learning models to simulate the MT procedure with stent-retrievers. By creating patient-specific models of the brain's vasculature, the clot, and the MT devices, Sara was able to accurately reproduce the procedure and study the factors leading to success or failure. Her simulations revealed key insights, such as how variations in vascular anatomy or clot stiffness impact the success of thrombus removal.
In addition, Sara conducted the first in silico stroke trials, using high-fidelity models to simulate the MT procedure on virtual patients. She found that different stent-retriever designs had varying success rates, particularly when dealing with stiffer clots. This innovative approach allows researchers to test procedures on virtual cohorts, reducing the need for costly and time-consuming clinical trials.
Sara also developed surrogate models, which are faster and more efficient at predicting treatment outcomes. These models can assist physicians in real-time by predicting the likelihood of successful clot removal based on patient-specific parameters, making them invaluable tools for clinical decision-making.
The VPHi Best Thesis Award recognizes outstanding contributions to the field of in silico medicine. This prestigious award highlights cutting-edge research that pushes the boundaries of medical technology and supports the career development of young scientists.
>>Applications for the 2025 VPHi Best Thesis Award is now open!
Congratulations again to Sara Bridio for her remarkable achievement, and we are excited to announce that she will soon present her work in a dedicated webinar as part of the VPHi Keynote webinar series.
