multiphysics of the heart

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in developed countries, claiming more than 16 million lives worldwide each year. We thrive to provide an in-depth understanding of cardiac physiology and improve treatment strategies for heart disease by integrating multiscale modeling and machine learning. In partnership with the Living Heart Project, we study the living heart, from the molecular scale, via the cellular and tissue scales, to the whole organ scale. Across all scales, we model, simulate, and predict the biochemical, electrical, and mechanical behavior of the heart under physiological and pathological conditions: In drug safety evaluation, we study the effect of drugs on the electrical and mechanical behavior of the heart; in heart failure, we translate the molecular mechanisms of sarcomerogenesis into hypertrophic and dilated cardiomyopathy; in mitral regurgitation, we characterize the effects of different biomedical devices;and in a general performance analysis, we identify critical differences between male and female hearts. Our ultimate goal is to use personalized human heart models is to prevent, diagnose, and treat cardiovascular disease.