Design of implanted intracardiac devices: the performance and reliability of devices such as catheters, pacing leads and replacement valves that are implanted in the heart for either short or long terms is a major concern of medical device designers and manufacturers. Software tools that can simulate the performance of new device designs in the environment of the intact heart will allow engineers to perform multiple computational tests before building expensive prototypes and conducting animal studies.

Computational analysis of cardiac images: as new cardiac imaging technologies such as three-dimensional echocardiography and cardiac MRI emerge, the major problem facing the physician and vendors is less the quality and information content of the images, but rather the interpretation of the increasingly large volumes of complex dynamic three-dimensional data. The next generation of imaging systems will include software that aids the clinical interpretation of the images by building in known properties of the tissues and organs being imaged to derive more fundamental and reliable clinical information.

Computer-assisted surgery: surgical device manufacturers are increasingly interested in smart devices such as surgical robots that improve the accuracy and precision of surgical procedures, make use of radiographic data acquired prior to surgery, and minimize the duration and invasiveness of surgery. Behind these new techniques will be software technology that can faithfully mimic the physical, anatomical and physiological properties of human tissues and organs.

Drug Discovery: Many disease conditions, especially heart diseases, involve complex interactions between networks of molecules, cells and organs. While drugs target a specific molecule, their efficacy is unpredictable and requires extensive animal testing. By simulating the function of the normal and diseased heart from cell to organ, new software will help pharmaceutical companies screen candidate therapies.