Date: Friday, November 3
Time: 2:00pm – 3:30pm.
Location: Carleton University, 4359 ME (Mackenzie Building). Campus map.
Speaker: Dr. Patrick Boyle
Title: New Frontiers in Cardiac Arrhythmia Research: The Emergent Power of Computational Modelling
Abstract: Heart rhythm disorders are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Canada and throughout the world. Huge strides have been made towards effective and reliable clinical treatments, but procedure success rates remain unacceptably low in large patient groups due to an alarming lack of mechanistic understanding. In this lecture, we will examine how Computational Cardiology, which combines complex mathematical formulations of cardiac electrophysiology with high-performance computing infrastructure, is poised to help overcome these problems. This lecture will discuss the future of cardiac modelling and outline how it will influence a new generation of arrhythmia research, up to and including translational to clinical applications. Through a series of in-depth case studies, we will explore how simulations can be used to carefully dissect arrhythmia dynamics, to assess the feasibility of novel anti-arrhythmic treatment strategies based on disruptive technologies such as optogenetics, and to prospectively develop custom-tailored radiofrequency ablation plans using insights derived from MRI-based geometric models.
Speaker Bio: Patrick Boyle (PhD, PEng, FHRS) is an Assistant Research Professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, with appointments in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Institute for Computational Medicine. Prior to his current position, Patrick completed his doctoral degree in Biomedical Engineering (2011) and his bachelor of science in Computer Engineering (2005) at the University of Calgary. The overarching aim of his research is to use sophisticated computer simulations of the human heart to cultivate new knowledge about the underlying mechanisms of lethal arrhythmias and to develop novel strategies to treat these complex conditions. In particular, Patrick has focused on projects concerning the exploration of optogenetics as a novel means of manipulating cardiac electrophysiology, the use of image-based models to develop personalized treatment plans for complex ablation procedures, and the role of the heart’s specialized conduction system in perpetuating arrhythmia. His work is conducted in collaboration with world-class scientists and clinicians at Johns Hopkins Hospital, the University of Bordeaux, George Washington University, Stanford, the University of Bonn, and other centres.