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City Native Develops Stent Graft Testing Machine

Posted on: Saturday, 3 June 2006, 06:00 CDT

By Veronica Nett, The Charleston Gazette, W.Va.

May 27--Charleston native Tory Sturgeon and her fiance Todd Schuman presented a sophisticated sample of internal medicine and space technology to the Charleston Rotary Club on Friday.

The development of a machine to test stent grafts will allow researchers to test the wear and tear of the device, similar to how Consumer Reports tests the durability of backpacks, said Sturgeon, the inventor of the new machine.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. Sturgeon's machine, the first of its kind in the world, will allow researchers to monitor and improve graft stents -- a fabric device used to treat aneurysms -- in a laboratory instead of in animals and humans.

A graduate of Charleston Catholic High School, Sturgeon is pursuing her doctorate at UC Berkeley. Her father, Jim Sturgeon, is the chairman of the Charleston Chamber of Commerce, and her mother, Dr. Carolyn Sturgeon, is an English professor at West Virginia State University.

While the exact cause of aneurysms is unknown, contributing factors are hypertension, high blood pressure, obesity and heart disease.

Aortic aneurysms force the aorta to balloon and eventually rupture, causing massive internal bleeding.

To treat a ballooning aorta, doctors insert a fabric graft into the area. Metal stents press the fabric to the walls of the aorta, holding it in place.

Over time, through normal wear and tear caused by passing blood and movement of the body, the graft can migrate or leak.

The machine will allow researchers to gather years' worth of information in a few weeks time, Sturgeon said.

In her research, Sturgeon worked with Professor Omer Savas of UC Berkeley, and collaborated with the medical institute at UC San Francisco. Her project was funded by the National Institute of Health.

The machine is the same size as a human aorta. Silicone tubes are used to simulate the artery, and glycerin, a sugar-based fluid used in lotion and food, acts as blood. The fluid is pumped through the tubes to simulate a heartbeat.

Schuman presented an overview of a new design for a more cost- and fuel-efficient Crew Exploration Vehicle, a replacement for the nation's aging space shuttles.

Schuman received his master's degree from MIT in aeronautical engineering. He works for Northrop Grumman, which has adopted his space design system. His design has been submitted to NASA as a successor to the space shuttle.

The design he proposed is based on Apollo-era shuttles, but uses 21st-century technology. The CEV will enhance mission flexibility, improve astronaut safety, reduce cost and increase human spaceflight, he said.

Missions will be divided into two launches. A CEV carrying the crew's cargo will be put into space first, and weeks later another space vehicle with the crew will be launched. The two will meet and dock in space.

The targeted launch date for the new CEV design is 2012. Crews will join the CEV at the International Space Station in 2018.

To contact staff writer Veronica Nett, use e-mail or call 348-5100.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Charleston Gazette, W.Va.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: The Charleston Gazette

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