An Integrated Heart Model for the Simulation of the Cardiac Function
ERC-ADG – Advanced Grant
Project ID: 740132
Funded under: H2020-EU.1.1. – EXCELLENT SCIENCE – European Research Council (ERC)
iHEART, which refers to “integrated heart model for the simulation of the cardiac function”, represents one of the first attempts in the world to create a complete mathematical model of the human heart, which includes all the physiological processes that together form the complexity that we call life: the electrical, mechanical and fluid-dynamic processes and the electro-chemical one, at the cellular level. The project has been funded with an Advanced ERC Grant of 2.35 million euros from the European Union.
The research team will exploit the potential of mathematical analysis, numerical approximation and large scale scientific computing to treat clinically relevant cases.
The ultimate goal is to build a virtual model of the heart that is able not only to minutely describe the interactions that take place within it, but also possibly to predict the dynamics, with the aim of building a tool capable of helping clinicians study the genesis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
Possessing an integrated model of cardiovascular processes could improve prevention, treatment and cardiac surgery.
iHEART can be assimilated to a virtual microscope, in which cardiovascular diseases and their evolution are seen through complex equations that the research team aims to solve.