Vision

PersonalizeAF aims to change the paradigm of classification and diagnosis of AF delivering a precision medicine strategy based on the personalized characterization of each atrial substrate and disease manifestation.

Objectives

PersonalizeAF aims to create an innovative multinational, multi-sectorial, multidisciplinary and excellent doctoral training network programme to train 15 ESRs in cardiac genetics, cardiac ion channel mapping, stem cell experimentation, novel drug testing, signal and image processing, computer modelling and patient management.

Scientific

The specific research objective of PersonalizeAF programme is to improve the success rate of therapies applied to patients with atrial fibrillation through the individual characterization of the disease through different diagnostic techniques. For this purpose, several items will be addressed:

1. Improve atrial state characterization and its progression during AF remodelling addressing the individual characterization of the electrophysiological mechanisms provoking the initiation and maintenance of the cardiac arrhythmia, and the study and classification of the genetic and biological markers able to differentiate between different basic mechanisms.
2. Develop new diagnostic methods to identify, both invasively and non-invasively, the patient-specific markers describing the individual manifestation of the cardiac disease and its progression.
3. Develop novel technologies to test the effect and success of current and novel therapies on the different atrial substrates, and help in patient-specific treatment assignment based on the previous phenotype description.
4. Improve AF patient management by the creation of a decision-making platform to help clinicians to individualize the therapy based on the specific disease manifestation. This platform will combine the patient characterization with the different described technologies to predict the success rate of the therapy options.

Training

To provide a high-level personalised multidisciplinary training program, both in technical, including enrolment in a PhD programme, and transferable skills (such as entrepreneurship, project management, ethical issues, IPR, open access), with the long-term aim to produce scientific leadership – foundation for ERC starting grants and/or industry leadership.

Dissemination and outreach

Disseminate the methods and tools developed by the project to a wide spectrum of stakeholders, ranging from the scientific community to corporate users; raise awareness in the general public about precision medicine and its fundamental role in cardiovascular disease management; and to encourage biomedical and bioengineering vocational careers among young students, with special emphasis on women.