Source: British Heart Foundation
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Date of publication: August 2017
Publication type: News item
In a nutshell: Scientists at the University of Oxford are to develop computer models of the human heart to better understand a deadly inherited heart condition.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the main cause of sudden cardiac death in children and young adults. About 1 in 500 of the UK population has the condition, although most people who have it have few, if any, symptoms.
HCM affects both the muscle structure and electrical function of the heart, but how those factors combine to increase the risk of abnormal heart rhythms and sudden death is not known.
To better understand that relationship, Dr Alfonso Bueno-Orovio has been awarded £542,000 by us to take up a prestigious Intermediate Fellowship. He will collaborate with experts working in computer science, laboratories and clinics to construct computer models of the human heart in HCM. These can then be used to run simulations of how the disease causes dangerous heart rhythms.
This research could reveal more about the mechanisms behind HCM, and highlight new ways to diagnose and treat people who are at most risk of sudden cardiac death.
Length of publication: 1 webpage
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Acknowledgement: British Heart Foundation