Long before earning her bachelor’s degree, Ellen Roche, a distinguished MIT professor and biomedical engineer, was already making her mark in the medical device industry. During her third year at the National University of Ireland at Galway, she engaged in a groundbreaking biomedical engineering program, gaining invaluable hands-on experience by collaborating with companies focused on developing innovative patient care devices.
“I worked on cardiovascular implants during my placement, and it ignited my passion,” recalls Roche, who serves as an associate professor at MIT’s Institute for Medical Engineering and Science (IMES) and the Department of Mechanical Engineering. “This early exposure to the medical device sector was pivotal in my career, as I witnessed the intricate journey from bench-top technology design to the creation of meticulously vetted and dependable implants ready for human use.”
Roche’s graduate studies further enriched her experience, leading her to Mednova Ltd. in Galway and its sister company, Abbott Vascular in California. Initially there for a mere six months, her enthusiasm for the work led to a three-and-a-half-year stint. At Mednova and Abbott, she focused on developing a carotid artery filter aimed at preventing strokes during stent implantation and experimenting with drug-coated stent components to prevent artery blockages.
In July 2023, Roche achieved tenure at MIT and now leads the Therapeutic Technology Design and Development Lab. This innovative lab employs soft robotics, advanced fabrication techniques, and computational analysis to create novel medical devices targeting the heart, lungs, and various tissues. Notable projects include an advanced soft robotic ventilator for patient implantation and customizable 3D-printed models of patients’ hearts for experimental research.
Roche encourages her students to embrace collaboration, adaptability, and to seek industry experience while studying. “I advise them to remain open to unexpected opportunities, work with like-minded individuals, and dedicate themselves fully, while being ready to adapt as necessary,” she shares.
The complexities of medical device development—covering regulatory submissions, quality control, clinical trials, manufacturing details, sterilization, reliability, packaging, labeling, distribution, and marketing—are often challenging to grasp without direct industry exposure. “Bringing a device from concept to a first-in-human study is a concerted effort involving a wide array of skilled teams,” Roche explains, “but it’s incredibly rewarding.”
Hailing from Galway and born to a civil engineer father and a radiographer mother, Roche has always been passionate about math, science, and engineering. Her choice to pursue biomedical engineering stems from its diverse nature and its potential to make a meaningful societal impact. Roche fondly credits her mother for greatly influencing her career path.
“She took me to hospitals to meet professionals using various medical devices and introduced me to a key mentor in the industry,” Roche reflects. “My mother self-taught herself advanced math, as it was not offered at her local school.”
After her tenure at Abbott, Roche sought to further her education and explore new technologies applicable to medical devices, returning to academia to enroll in a bioengineering master’s program at Trinity College, Dublin. While pursuing her degree, she joined Medtronic, where she contributed to the development of a revolutionary aortic valve that successfully advanced from initial design to clinical application, an experience she considered incredibly fortunate.
Additionally, she pursued medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland before receiving a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to undertake her PhD. “Winning the Fulbright Science and Technology Award solidified my commitment to graduate studies in the U.S.,” she notes, selecting David Mooney and Conor Walsh, professors at Harvard University, as her advisors: “They have been immensely supportive of my personal and professional journey.”
Roche’s impressive portfolio includes various groundbreaking medical devices such as a soft, implantable ventilator, a mechanism to prevent scar tissue formation, and a 3D-printed robotic heart. For the latter, her team utilizes an MRI scan to create an anatomically accurate model of a patient’s heart, enabling them to explore various treatments and devices in a highly detailed environment.
“We can adjust and test different devices on the printed heart, depending on our research goals,” Roche shared during the “Curiosity Unbounded” podcast with MIT President Sally Kornbluth.
The 3D-printed heart and other simulated devices Roche has developed significantly enhance the testing of clinical interventions and may even pave the way for future implantable solutions in human patients. “Imagine patients facing end-stage heart disease, waiting for a transplant, potentially receiving a fully synthetic, beating heart,” she envisioned while speaking with Kornbluth.
Honors and accolades have followed Roche; she received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award in 2019 and has successfully ventured into entrepreneurship with her startup, Spheric Bio. The venture, which focuses on a minimally invasive heart implant designed to combat strokes, secured the Faculty Founders Initiative Grand Prize in 2022 and the Lab Central Ignite Golden Ticket, aimed at supporting underrepresented biotechnology founders.
Holding dual appointments in mechanical and medical engineering, Roche also earned the Thomas McMahon Mentoring Award in 2020 for her supportive mentorship to students in the Harvard-MIT Program in Health Sciences and Technology. She was further recognized with the Harold E. Edgerton Faculty Achievement Award in 2023 for her outstanding contributions to teaching, research, and community service.
What most excites Roche about the current landscape of her research is the potential for customized patient-specific treatments and devices, leveraging in silico trials and digital twins for evaluating various interventions and predicting their success rates.
Roche’s work on physical biorobotic simulators and computational models has not gone unnoticed. A local hospital has recently approached her team to create training models specifically designed for heart surgeons, assisting them in determining the most suitable pump or ventricular assist device for unique patient cases.
Despite her busy schedule, Roche is a dedicated parent to three young daughters, who often accompany her to work, fueling their enthusiasm for the lab environment. Balancing her professional commitments, Roche manages to fit in triathlons, travel, and enjoy local New England brews, with plans to participate in an upcoming triathlon alongside her PhD mentors. “I find that I do my best thinking while running, biking, or swimming—or even late at night,” she smiles.
For students aspiring to make a meaningful impact on society, Roche emphasizes a simple yet profound message: “Discover a way to meld your passions, strengths, and avenues for helping others.”
Photo credit & article inspired by: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
