Michael J. Passineau

About

Michael J. Passineau is a pioneering researcher at the intersection of cardiac surgery and medical robotics, whose work focuses on developing minimally invasive platforms for gene therapy delivery to the beating heart. His primary research areas include organ-mounted parallel wire robots, force/position control systems, and beating-heart registration techniques. Passineau’s major contribution is the creation of the Cerberus epicardial robot—a parallel wire device deployed through a small subxiphoid incision that adheres directly to the heart’s surface, providing a stable platform with near-zero relative motion for uniform, targeted injections. His most cited work, “Parallel Force/Position Control of an Epicardial Parallel Wire Robot” (11 citations), addresses the critical challenge of safe, accurate interventions on a moving organ. Passineau has also advanced coronary vessel detection methods for the HeartLander robot, enabling safer injection by avoiding vasculature. With a cumulative citation count of 32 across his top papers, his research is foundational for translating cardiac gene therapies from bench to bedside, offering a transformative approach to treating congestive heart failure through precise, minimally invasive delivery.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Parallel Force/Position Control of an Epicardial Parallel Wire Robot

   11 citations · 2016
2. 2
   A parallel wire robot for epicardial interventions

   9 citations · 2014
3. 3
   Beating‐heart registration for organ‐mounted robots

   3 citations · 2018
4. 4
   Toward hybrid force/position control for the Cerberus epicardial robot

   3 citations · 2015
5. 5
   Coronary vessel detection methods for organ‐mounted robots

   3 citations · 2021
6. 6
   Introducer Design Concepts for an Epicardial Parallel Wire Robot

   2 citations · 2021
7. 7
   Organ‐mounted robot localization via function approximation

   1 citations · 2018

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links