Sano PhD Student
Project title: The Role of Neurocardiac Interaction in Arrhythmic Digital Twin Hearts
Publication date: 25.11.2022
Closing date: 20.12 2022
Level of education required: Master's degree
Hours: 40 hours per week
Salary indication: up to PLN 8000 gross monthly
Supervisors:
Sano: Dr Maciej Malawski (Extreme Scale Data and Computing Research Group Leader)
University of Sheffield: Dr. Ian Halliday
Project start: Jan 2023
Degree Awarding Body: University of Sheffield
The primary question to be addressed in this project is whether neurocardiac interaction at both Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) level and Intrinsic Cardiac Nervous System (ICNS) level can be incorporated in digital cohort/twin models of the whole human heart, in particular those developing arrhythmias. If so, how are we to approach this in Digital Twin models, given sparse information about both the ANS and ICNS at an individual patient level.
Understanding the role that the ICNS plays in controlling cardiac function, and how it interacts with information between the central command centres of the ANS and integrates sensory information from the myocardium could prove crucial for prophylactic and corrective treatments of heart disease. In particular, clusters of cardiac ganglia neurons located on the surface of the heart, collectively termed ganglionated plexuses (GP), are known to be involved in arrhythmias. An array of imaging, modelling and simulation studies should be devised to address the question of whether Digital Twin Heart modelling can incorporate and will benefit from ANS and ICNS control insights. In particular, can we incorporate knowledge of the structure and function of the Intrinsic Nervous System to provide better modelling of arrhythmias? Further, can this knowledge be used to provide guidance in (optimal) ablation of the ganglionated plexuses?