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

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a complex hereditary heart disease and the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in children and young adults, including young athletes. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy affects both the muscle and the electrical function of the heart. However, little is yet known about how these two factors combine to increase the risk of deadly episodes in the disease, as this cannot be easily studied in living patients.

In this context, computational models of human HCM electrical function and anatomy will be constructed based on a unique dataset at different levels of human physiology. Simulation studies will be conducted to investigate how the various components of the disease play a role in establishing arrhythmias in human HCM hearts. These new technologies will help in a better diagnosis of patients at risk of cardiac death, and in the identification of novel therapies for the disease.