Christini

This research project in spatio-temporal control has as its ultimate goal the identification of methods that would prevent the onset of electrical turbulence in cardiac tissue through perturbations that exploit the underlying nonlinear dynamics of cardiac electrical wave propagation. The specific scientific aims are: (1) To characterize the control of period-2 electrical dynamics in one-dimensional cardiac fibers. The studies for this aim will quantify the spatial efficacy (i.e., length scale) of nonlinear-dynamical control of alternans in one-dimensional systems, thereby elucidating the effects of the complex dynamics that emerge due to cell-to-cell coupling and wave propagation; and (2) To extend control of period-2 electrical dynamics to two-dimensional cardiac tissue. Complementary computational modeling and in vitro mammalian cardiac tissue experiments will be used for both aims. The computational modeling studies will employ reaction-diffusion type simulations that couple ionic models of single cardiac cells to form virtual tissues. The virtual tissues will enable analysis of the length scales and complex spatiotemporal dynamics that emerge due to cell-to-cell coupling and wave propagation, as well as the development of the appropriate control strategy. The experiments will test the theories developed through the simulations as well as demonstrate potential real-world efficacy. Thus, the project will not only illuminate the underlying basic fundamental principles of the system, but will also make tangible progress toward a promising approach that may one day save lives. Two graduate students will be supported directly by this project (one each at Weill Cornell and Cornell Ithaca). Undergraduate students (through the REU program) and minority high school students (through the Research Assistantship for Minority High School Students program) will receive summer internship employment to work and learn on this project.