Dr Daniel Timms is a medtech heart throb, having designed a device to totally replace the heart! Growing up in Brisbane, the young Dr Timms spent many hours helping his plumber father build contraptions with water pumps and waterfalls. When his father was diagnosed with a heart condition, the Ph.D. biomedical engineering student tinkered in the shed with his ailing Dad to build a rudimentary model of the human cardiovascular system. Though his father died of heart failure in 2006, Dr Timms continued on his mission to change the future for the estimated 23 million people who will succumb to cardiovascular disease by 2030, rendering them in desperate need of a heart transplant. According to one Professor, Dr Timms’ went without a salary for a year, slept on many couches, but resolutely kept going and got the job done. His invention of the revolutionary BiVACOR titanium heart is internationally lauded as the basis for future artificial heart design & potentially viable alternative to heart transplantation. Called the BiVACOR, the machine is small, lightweight and deceptively simple. It uses a magnetic field, a spinning disc and centrifugal force to pump blood. Because there is only a single moving part and no friction, it is expected to be extremely durable. It is small enough to implant in many children but able to support an adult undergoing mild exercise.
Commencing his research and development at Brisbane’s Prince Charles Hospital, Dr Timms then advanced his research work with international institutions including Germany’s Helmholtz Institute. At 28 years old he received the ISRBP Asian Artificial Heart Award. He founded the Innovative Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology Laboratory and continues to collaborate with leading global researchers, surgeons & scientists on the development of other devices. Today Timms continues his quest as the Director and Chief Technology Officer of his company Bivacor. It is currently headquartered in Los Angeles, where it’s preparing for clinical trials of its artificial heart.
“I’m motivated by providing a viable solution to one of the world’s most prevalent diseases will extend a heart failure patient’s life and allow them to spend more quality time with their family.”
