Dr-Ing. Cristian Barrios

Motivation
Cardiac arrhythmias, such as atrial fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia, represent serious health concerns typically managed with thermal ablation techniques like radiofrequency or cryoablation. While these approaches are effective, they carry the risk of collateral damage to surrounding tissues. Pulsed field ablation (PFA), which utilizes irreversible electroporation to selectively ablate cardiac tissue, has emerged as a safer alternative. Even more innovative is reversible electroporation, which transiently disrupts cell membranes without causing permanent damage, allowing for the testing of therapeutic interventions prior to lesion formation. This transient modulation of tissue behavior holds great potential for terminating arrhythmias while preserving healthy myocardium. However, the precise mechanisms and optimal parameters for reversible electroporation remain poorly understood. Initial experimental models based on rat cardiomyocytes have provided valuable insights, but to advance both in-silico and in-vitro hypotheses, there is a critical need to develop human-specific computational models. Utilizing the publicly available openCARP framework, we can simulate these processes in detail, enabling virtual testing of treatment strategies in human-based models prior to clinical application.

Student Project
This project provides a hands-on opportunity to investigate the mechanisms of reversible electroporation for treating cardiac arrhythmias using the openCARP simulation framework. The student will start by adapting a previously developed rat cellular-level electroporation model (based on the Pandit model) to the human atrial cardiomyocyte model by Courtemanche. This will enable the study of reversible electroporation effects on ion currents, membrane permeability, and recovery dynamics at the cellular level. Subsequently, the focus will shift to tissue-level modeling, where arrhythmogenic phenomena such as reentry circuits will be introduced. The student will simulate the application of electroporation pulses to evaluate their potential to terminate abnormal rhythms effectively. Through these simulations, the student will analyze how electrical fields can achieve therapeutic benefits while minimizing irreversible tissue damage.

Skills needed

• Written and spoken English
• Experience in Python is desirable