Developing computer models of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

In-silico investigation of structural and electrophysiological substrates for sudden cardiac death in human hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Dr Alfonso Bueno Orovio from the University of Oxford is developing a computer model of a human heart with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), to better understand this disease. HCM is the most common hereditary heart disease and the main cause of sudden cardiac death in children and young adults. HCM is a complex disease that affects both the muscle structure and the electrical function of the heart. But we don’t know how these two things combine to increase the risk of deadly abnormal heart rhythms. Computer models are a great tool to investigate the causes underlying heart risk in HCM, because the disease cannot be easily studied in people living with the condition. The models will help doctors provide more personalised care for their patients, to diagnose people at risk of cardiac death, and to identify new treatments for the disease and who should receive them. Dr Bueno Orovio wants to identify the different changes in the heart that can contribute to dangerous abnormal heart rhythms in HCM. He will collaborate with experts working in computer science, labs and clinics to construct computer models of human HCM, which simulate how the disease triggers arrhythmias. This research will reveal more about the mechanisms behind HCM, and could reveal new ways to diagnose and treat people with HCM who are most at risk of sudden cardiac death.