Dr Jazmín Aguado Sierra is a lead scientist at Elem Biotech but, until recently, she was a researcher at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, where her work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICIN). In addition to her research endeavours, she was a Scientific Consultant for ELEM Biotech, a pioneering biomedical simulation company that originated from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. In November 2023, at the Science Museum’s Engineers gallery in London, Jazmín unveiled a stunning simulation of a beating human heart, created using scans of her own heart and supercomputer power to illustrate the intricate interactions of electrical impulses, muscle contractions, and blood flow.
“I had always wanted to simulate my own heart, so this became the best opportunity to do so, and best of all, to portray the capabilities of our scientific work in a fun and exciting way. The first time I saw my heart pumping it was fascinating!”
Discovering biomedical engineering
I can’t remember when my interest for a scientific or STEM career started. No one in my family is a scientist or engineer, I never met any scientists when I was young.
I’m from Mexico, and my mom and dad were the first ones of their families to obtain a university degree. During my high school years, my interest for mathematics, physics, biology, physiology and chemistry were clear. To choose my path, I applied to two different careers: medicine and biomedical engineering. My love for maths, physics and physiology made biomedical engineering my primary choice, so I studied biomedical engineering at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico, and finished with an academic excellence award.
After this, I worked for 18 months at a medical devices company in Mexico City as a junior specialist on cardiac surgery devices and disposables, including artificial hearts (ventricular assist devices). Then I worked at a research and development spin-out company, developing medical devices for 18 months, where I soon became the research and development department manager.
I then applied for a scholarship to work on my PhD, which I obtained and moved to London to work at the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London under the supervision of Prof. Emeritus Kim H. Parker. There I served as PhD students’ representative for 3 years. After my PhD, I moved to the University of California San Diego at the Cardiac Mechanics Research Group of the Bioengineering Department under the supervision of Prof Andrew McCulloch for a post-doctoral position. After that, I got an offer to move to Barcelona for a second post-doctoral stay at Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
The lab was moving to the University of Sheffield, so I followed them to Sheffield for a couple of months, but then I was offered another position back in Barcelona, at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. I worked there for almost 12 years as a senior postdoctoral researcher and then obtained a Ramon y Cajal Fellowship, which is one of most prestigious scientific grants in Spain. I now hold a position as lead scientist at Elem Biotech, a spin-off from Barcelona Supercomputing Center for Biomechanics modelling and simulation technologies.
Day-to-day role of a bioengineer
On a day-to-day basis, I work with my team to advance on the direction of our research. We propose experiments and methods to create virtual cardiac simulations to assess a variety of medical conditions.
My team conducts most of the tests and simulations and then we sit together to analyse the results, and propose changes and improvements or write journal articles about them. I also talk to potential new customers, which are mostly pharmaceutical and medical device industries, contract research organisations (CROs) or hospitals and clinical groups, to understand their needs and how they can be met using modelling and simulation of physiological human organs.
I also propose new areas of research to tackle with our models. I write research grant proposals, and I supervise a couple of PhD students. I also run simulations of various new research areas — I’ve even included simulations of my own heart, and the uterus! I’m also working on extreme multi-scale coupling, modelling from genotype, to phenotype to full organ function. These simulations are fun, and they keep me up to speed with our modelling tools and capabilities.
Creating a virtual twin of my heart
I have been working with Professor Peter Coveney within the European Project, CompBioMed, for a few years now. Peter and the Science Museum’s Science Director, Roger Highfield, co-wrote an incredible book called Virtual You.
Some of our work within the CompBioMed project had already been featured in the Science Museum’s IMAX cinema. The Science Museum wanted to have a new exhibition about digital twins, so they talked to Peter, and he contacted me and some of our colleagues from CompBioMed to talk to the museum to see if we could produce some simulations that would be of their interest.
When we met, we were discussing what kind of content they would like, and I mentioned that I’d already had my MRI scan to create the simulation of my own heart. They loved the idea! So, we started discussing about what kind of simulation they would like and if we could produce it within the time frame required. Importantly, our visualisation team at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center had created all of the amazing scientific visualisations already shown in the IMAX.
So, it was eventually decided that I would create the simulations of my own heart and that our visualisation team would work on them to produce the incredible content that can now be seen at the museum. I had always wanted to simulate my own heart, so this became the best opportunity to do so, and best of all, to to portray the capabilities of our scientific work in a fun and exciting way.
The first time I saw my heart pumping it was fascinating! The fact that you can see it live on your screen being solved by a computer – that is you, and every characteristic is describing yourself. Supercomputing is changing the way modelling works and having access to my own data enriches the model that much faster. The more I learn about my heart, the more I will be able to produce new protocols or new tests which is exciting for the future of predictive and personalised medicine.
Exploring the functioning of the human heart in pregnancy
As we know, female health still requires a lot of study. Even though we form a large part (we make up 51% of the world’s population), there are so many things that we do not fully understand about women’s physiology.
Most studies have been done by men, on men, and particularly conditions like pregnancy make it even more complex to study. It so happened that I had been planning to have a baby. When I found out that I was pregnant, one of my first instincts as a researcher was that I wanted to document the cardiovascular changes occurring during pregnancy as, until this point, I had never seen the simulation of a pregnant heart.
Given that I already had my heart simulation, I convinced Elem Biotech to support the study and creation of the computational models of the cardiovascular changes occurring during my pregnancy. I was able to organise the entire study with a wonderful group of scientists and clinicians who provided their support to do so: Dr Fatima Crispi, Dr Barbara Vidal Hagemeijer and Dr Alex Moreno from Hospital Clinic Barcelona; Dr Johanna Parra Hernandez and Dr Francesca Crovetto from Hospital Sant Joan de Deu, and Dr Francesc Carreras Costa from Clinica Creu Blanca, Barcelona.
Currently, I have collected all the data I require for the pregnancy simulations, but I will also collect data after pregnancy, to observe if and how the entire system goes back to it’s pre-pregnancy state. This is an absolutely fascinating area of study that may help us understand better all of the phases and changes we go through during pregnancy.
International Women in Engineering Day: Celebrating female potential
Us women have so much potential! It is an absolute pity that throughout time, we have had to fight so much to be part of a fascinating area of study like engineering. We need to mark International Women in Engineering Day to demonstrate to both old and new generations that we can make a huge difference in this world, as well as recognising that the efforts of women before us were worthwhile and that we are there to support the new generations to follow their dreams, wherever that leads them.
Engineering is a fascinating subject where we can make a huge impact, and I strongly encourage young women to enter the engineering world. It is challenging and so much fun! I grew up believing I could do anything, mostly thanks to my parents. We want to live in a world where that is true for every girl, everywhere.
This year I will probably be celebrating motherhood as a happy woman, scientist, and engineer. But I will definitely join in on social media to mark the occasion and share the beauty of being a woman in engineering.
Come along and get involved
The Womanthology community can engage with this work by visiting the Virtual Heart display in the Engineers Gallery at the Science Museum in London, which is a great way to understand what I do as a bioengineer.
I try to engage in the dissemination of science as much as I can, but to go into depth, you can always find my journal publications online. I am trying my best to have a societal impact with all my research, where female physiology is a key aspect for us to study. So, my big hope is that ultimately all women can benefit from my research, whether we can engage or not.
Championing research into underserved areas in women’s health
I have so many new ideas and projects to extend my work on female health. I am hoping that some of the interest and funding comes along to aid in the study of underserved areas of research in women’s health.
I am also looking forward to balancing my research and motherhood. This is one of the many challenges that we face as professional women and mothers. I’m looking forward to seeing how that works out.
I am also excited to continue my work at Elem Biotech and make the use of virtual humans a reality to improve treatments and outcomes for everyone, while reducing costs and making healthcare more efficient and accessible.
Jazmin’s ‘Virtual Heart’ is on permanent display at the Science Museum in their Engineers gallery, open 10am–6pm, seven days a week. Tickets are free, and you can book them online.
