Funded Projects

 1.   NRPU-HEC Grant 2018: Grant Worth 1.45M. (Completed as of May 2021)

Role: Principal Investigator

Project Title: "Development and reconstruction of geometrically accurate models (3D) of Human Brain for calculation of Intra Cranial Pressure (ICP) due to presence of tumors Using Image based modeling and Finite Elements"

Brain is an actuator for control and coordination. When a pathology arises in cranium, it may leave a degenerative, disfiguring and destabilizing impact on brain physiology. However, the leading consequences of the same may vary from case to case. Tumour, in this context, is a special type of pathology which deforms brain parenchyma permanently. From translational perspective, deformation mechanics and pressures, specifically the intracranial cerebral pressure (ICP) in a tumour-housed brain, have not been addressed holistically in literature. This is an important area to investigate in neuropathy prognosis. To address this, we aim to solve the pressure mystery in a tumour-based brain in this study and present a fairly workable methodology. Using image-based finite-element modelling, we reconstruct a tumour-based brain and probe resulting deformations and pressures (ICP). Tumour is grown by dilating the voxel region by 16 and 30 mm uniformly. Cumulatively three cases are studied including an existing stage of the tumour. Pressures of cerebrospinal fluid due to its flow inside the ventricle region are also provided to make the model anatomically realistic. Comparison of obtained results unequivocally shows that as the tumour region increases its area and size, deformation pattern changes extensively and spreads throughout the brain volume with a greater concentration in tumour vicinity. Second, we conclude that ICP pressures inside the cranium do increase substantially; however, they still remain under the normal values (15 mmHg). In the end, a correlation relationship of ICP mechanics and tumour is addressed. From a diagnostic purpose, this result also explains why generally a tumour in its initial stage does not show symptoms because the required ICP threshold has not been crossed. We finally conclude that even at low ICP values, substantial deformation progression inside the cranium is possible. This may result in plastic deformation, midline shift etc. in the brain. 

Full Length Article: royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.210165 

2.   NRPU-HEC Grant 2021: Grant Worth 5.38 M (Jan 22-Jan2024) ongoing

Role: Principal Investigator

Project Title: Biomechanical Engineering of Post-Covid Bone health – The aftermath of Covid-based bone issues. 

Brief: The project was classified into three milestones as test study case: image processing  (3D bone model, Material properties), Gait analysis (Boundary conditions) and FE analysis. Nearly accurate image processing, particularly for  bone properties extraction was performed to analyze knee angles. In addition to analyzing knee angles during gait, total fiber forces of the rectus femoris and vastus intermedius muscles for all three participants (P1, P2, and P3) was also calculated in this study. These muscle-specific force calculations provide insights into the activation and load-bearing characteristics of these muscles during walking, running, and balling using OpenSIM. 

 3.   Golf Launch Monitor: Grant Worth 1.4 Million (2022) ongoing

Role: Principal Investigator

This has been an innovative project developed with the vision of bringing technology to the fingertips of golf players. In partnership with industry at NSTP NUST, the aim was to create a method that not only detects and tracks the ball in real-time but also offers detailed metrics to analyze sports performance data in golf. The following two objectives were achieved:

• Detect golf ball post-impact using a phone camera.

• Estimate ball carry distance through a mathematical model

The culmination of the detection modeling and mathematical modeling phases led to intriguing results and facilitated a comprehensive discussion on the project's achievements, areas of improvement, and future directions. The success of this project contributed to promoting golf technology and advancements within the sports industry, providing valuable insights to players looking to improve their game. 

 4.   HEC Grant: Grant Worth 0.985 Million

Role: Co Principal Investigator

Project Title: RF based Bone health monitoring system using body matched antennas

In response to the increasing prevalence of osteoporosis, this project aims to develop an innovative radiofrequency (RF) device for the non-invasive detection of osteoporotic bone conditions. This project involves the strategic placement of two on-body dual anti-phase patch antennas around the human wrist, applying controlled pressure for optimal performance.

The RF transmission parameters are carefully defined, with the device emitting radiation at a power of 0.1 W within the 0-2 GHz frequency band. Significantly, this power level is observed to be lower than the radiation emitted by mobile phones operating in the same frequency range, ensuring safety and minimal interference.

To assess the efficacy of the device, radio wave propagation through the established setup will be measured and compared with established osteoporotic and osteopenic conditions using Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA). Preliminary findings may indicate that osteoporotic and osteopenic bones exhibit higher transparency to radio waves, resulting in elevated transmission coefficients.