Kelly Suzanne Burrowes - CMIC seminar series

Dr Kelly Suzanne Burrowes, The University of Auckland

Title:  Every breath you take: Tools for measuring and predicting lung function

Abstract:

The main function of the lung is gas exchange, it performs this by efficiently matching ventilation (V) to perfusion (Q) at the gas exchange surface. In all pulmonary diseases this V/Q matching is disturbed and the lung no longer works efficiently. In this seminar I will describe my research related to the development of multi-scale computational models and MRI-based tools to predict and measure lung function. We have developed patient-based models of the lung and can simulate lung function within these models. These models have so far been used to understand changes in lung function in diseases such as pulmonary embolism and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. More recent research areas also include developing functional proton MRI methods to measure regional lung function, tissue-based experimental measurements, developing a tool to improve the prediction of patient outcomes for lung cancer patients after radiation therapy and measuring the chemical composition of e-cigarette vapour. I will describe a few of these key research areas.

Bio:

Kelly completed a Bachelor of Engineering, specialising in Chemical & Materials Engineering, and a PhD in Bioengineering at the University of Auckland. She spent the next ~10 years at the University of Oxford continuing her research in the field of computational modelling of the respiratory system. Since then she has moved back to Auckland where she has been a lecturer in the Chemical & Materials Engineering Department for the past 3 years. Her ongoing research goal is to develop efficient novel computational tools - combining mathematical and computational techniques with experimental, imaging and clinical studies - to provide an increased understanding of pathophysiology in the lung.