Developing a new computer model to study atrial fibrillation

Dissecting multifactorial mechanisms of atrial fibrillation: Predictive modelling framework for evaluating medical treatments

Dr Oleg Aslanidi and his team are studying ways to improve the way we treat atrial fibrillation (AF), a common heart rhythm disorder and a major cause of stroke. AF can severely affect quality of life, and often medical treatments don’t work. We need to understand more about how AF develops, so we can find new ways to treat it. In this project, Dr Aslanidi is using computer models to understand how underlying abnormal functioning of heart cells and tissues lead to AF. They will then use this information to work out how best to treat it using drugs or by removing heart tissue that sets off AF. This research will reveal how each defect can play a role in the development of AF, and how medical treatments could prevent it. This approach will also determine whether the actual treatments received by AF patients were the best choice for their individual condition. These computer models will be a powerful predictive tool for understanding what goes wrong in the different heart cells and tissues to lead to AF. It could help doctors evaluate and optimise medical treatment strategies so people receive more personalised care, and have the best chance of recovery.