<title>Modeling, simulation, and analysis at Sandia National Laboratories for health care systems</title>

Abstract

Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis are special competencies of the Department of Energy (DOE) National Laboratories which have been developed and refined through years of national defense work. Today, many of these skills are being applied to the problem of understanding the performance of medical devices and treatments. At Sandia National Laboratories we are developing models at all three levels ofhealth care delivery: 1) phenomenology models for Observation and Test, 2) model-based outcomes simulations for Diagnosis and Prescription, and 3) model-based design and control simulations for the Administration of Treatment.A sampling of specific applications include non-invasive sensors for blood glucose, ultrasonic scanning for development of prosthetics, automated breast cancer diagnosis, laser burn debridement, surgical staple deformation, minimally invasive control for administration ofa photodynamic drug, and human-friendly decision support aids for computer-aided diagnosis. These and other projects are being performed at Sandia with support from the DOE and in cooperation with medical research centers and private companies. Our objective is to leverage government engineering, modeling, and simulation skills with the biotechnical expertise of the health care community to create a more knowledge-rich environment for decision making and treatment. BACKGROUNDSandia National Laboratories is a Department of Energy (DOE) multi-program laboratory with missions is military security, energy security, environmental integrity, and economic competitiveness. The Laboratories are operated under contract for the DOE by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Martin Marietta Corporation. Sandia Laboratories employs about 8500 people at two principal locations: Albuquerque NM and Livermore CA.. Recent legislation and a new emphasis on dual use applications of government defense technology have created expanded opportunities for cooperative R&D partnerships among government, users, industry, and laboratories. Health care technology is one area that is receiving increased attention at the DOE since it addresses a pressing national need, and many of the integrated scientific and engineering skills of the Laboratories are applicable to this set of problems.