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Marie Skłodowska-Curie
SASQUATCH:
Searching for Arrhythmia Solutions by Quantifying and Unraveling Atrial Transient CHaos
The grant:
The objective of Postdoctoral Fellowships (PFs) is to support researchers’ careers and foster excellence in research. The Postdoctoral Fellowships action targets researchers holding a PhD who wish to carry out their research activities abroad, acquire new skills and develop their careers. PFs help researchers gain experience in other countries, disciplines and non-academic sectors.
I was delighted to hear that this year my proposal got funded for a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship, in contrast with my Seal of Excellence of last year. I will perform my research at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organisation in Gottingen, Germany. The abstract of my proposal called SASQUATCH can be found underneath.
Project proposal abstract:
We commonly assume our heart maintains a steady rhythm, a crucial aspect of our well-being, often predictable until it suddenly isn't. Cardiac arrhythmias, marked by abnormal heart rhythms resulting from electrical impulse irregularities, affect a significant number of individuals. The most prevalent arrhythmia is atrial fibrillation (AF), a progressive condition afflicting over 7.6 million people aged 65 and older in the EU. Symptoms such as chest pain, fatigue, and weakness not only diminish the quality of life but also lead to additional complications and possibly death. Interestingly, most initial AF episodes spontaneously resolve, a phenomenon that remains incompletely understood despite substantial advancements in knowledge over the years. Particularly enigmatic is the triggering mechanism for such spontaneous termination.
To tackle this challenge, we need innovative and advanced biomedical models capable of exploring the intricate mechanisms behind spontaneous termination. One such mechanism, known in the mathematics community as transient chaos, plays a significant role in this endeavor. In recent times, digital twins, i.e. computational models simulating biological cells or tissues, have rapidly gained prominence, aiding the exploration of new pharmacological and clinical therapies. The field of cardiology is no exception, with digital twins effectively replicating the behavior of cardiomyocytes (normal rhythm, spontaneous termination, and arrhythmia) within digital hearts. We intend to employ these digital twins to delve into the origins and precursors of spontaneous termination at an ionic level with "Searching for Arrhythmia Solutions by Quantifying and Unraveling Atrial Transient CHaos" (SASQUATCH), opening the door for the development of novel AF treatment methods.
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