Developing realistic placental blood vessel virtual phantoms for optimisation of ultrasound scans

Doppler ultrasound is an important diagnostic tool in the field of obstetrics allowing for clinicians to haemodynamics of the placenta during pregnancy. Monitoring placental circulation is essential for understanding fetal development and detecting complications such as fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia, which can have serious consequences for both mother and baby. Developing anatomical virtual phantom blood vessels and cardiovascular systems will help interpret ultrasound in pregnancy, and potentially develop new ultrasound technology. We have developed in silico models of the placenta over the last decade which could help to do this. However, we now need to create virtual ultrasounds, which represent both the fluid dynamics of placental blood flow and the properties of ultrasound scatterers to create virtual phantoms. These phantoms will be validated against physical phantoms that exhibit similar acoustic properties to the human body. Together this work will provides a pathway to optimize and refine doppler ultrasound usage for pregnancy.

This project will focus on developing phantom anatomical blood vessels to numerically simulate placental blood flow and ultrasound images for Doppler ultrasound experiment. This work offers a unique opportunity to contribute to pregnancy-related research by advancing tools for studying placental blood flow, with implications for improving maternal and fetal health diagnostics.

• Instrumentation skills (Putting together mechatronic systems)
• Experimental skills (Planning and designing experiments)
• Some familiarity with cell biology & physiology
• Willingness to overcome problems and work with others on an scientific adventure

This project is eligible for funding but is subject to eligibility criteria & funding availability.

Page expires: 1st July 2026