Dissertation topics suggested by the teacher.
- Overcoming Rs compensation limits in patch clamp electrophysiological recordings (with internship at Elements srl)
- Computational analysis of the role of potassium repolarizing currents in a model of human Purkinjie action potential
- Computational analysis of If current in hiPS-CMs (starting from the paper: A detailed characterization of the hyperpolarization-activated "funny" current (I ) in human-induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes with pacemaker activity. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33934225/] Giannetti F, Benzoni P, Campostrini G, Milanesi R, Bucchi A, Baruscotti M, Dell'Era P, Rossini A, Barbuti A. Pflugers Arch. 2021)
- Cardiac contractility modulation: Computational modeling in isolated cardiomyocytes (starting from the paper:Acute effects of on human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34729935/] Feaster TK, Casciola M, Narkar A, Blinova K. Physiol Rep. 2021)
- Computational modeling of heart failure in isolated cardiomyocytes
- Comparison of BPS and Trenor models
- Distinguishing HF with reduced and preserved ejection fraction (starting from the paper: Distinguishing HF with reduced and preserved ejection fraction at the level of individual cardiomyocytes: implications for therapeutic development. [https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33017063/] Durland L. J Physiol. 2021)
- Regulatory issues in medical devices (specific topic to be defined in collaboration with Thema company)
- Design and implementation of a Simulink library of Action Potential models
The aim is to develop a Simulink library (Blockset) in which AP models are implement in a modular way (e.g.: one block for each current), which will facilitate comparison of models, as well as testing of hybrid models.
- Computational analysis of the role of the “funny” current If in the electrical conduction of atrio-ventricular node, by using a 1D (cable) model.
It has been observed in a transgenic mouse model that by suppressing the “funny” current animals develop atrio-vnentricular block. The mechanism is not clear, since If is mainly functional in the sinoatrial (not atrio-ventricular node). The aim is to investigate the hypothesis that the peculiar kinetic properties of the current can actually affect (and eventually stop) the activity of an atrio-ventricular node cell. (in collaboration with Dario DiFrancesco)
- Computational analysis of virtual ablations or fast conduction pathways insertions in a 2-dimensional atrial tissue.
A portion of cardiac tissue will be simulated. Protocols to induce sustained electrical activation (resembling atrial fibrillation) will be implemented. The effectiveness of different ablation strategies in stopping fibrillation will be analysed, as well as the effect of the insertion of fast conduction pathways.
- 3D computational model of a sinoatrial node cell: analysis of the role of calcium in the pacemaking process
- Design and development of a Health Technology Management system for hospitals in low resource settings at the St. Luke Hospital in Wolisso, Ethiopia (within a Global South funded project)
- Extracellular Ca2+ variation effect on electro-mechanically coupled human atrial cardiomyocytes computational model.
The project will be based on our newly developed model, MBS2022 and dealing with GHK formulation of the ICaL current driving force. The objective is to obtain correct APD-[Ca2+]o dependence for human atrial electromechanically coupled cardiomyocyte model.
- Investigating the genetic factors behind the pathogenesis of Atrial Fibrillation in Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) using electromechanically coupled human atrial model.
- Effect of inclusion of T-tubules structure in a novel electromechanically developed human atrial cardiomyocyte model.
- Role of stretch in slowing conduction velocity and increasing Atrial Fibrillation burden: a computational study
- Implementation of the BPS+Land, an electromechanical model of human ventricular cardiomyocyte, in the CellML repository.
- Development, Implementation and Testing of a Multicellular Dynamic Action Potential Clamp Simulator for Drug Cardiac Safety Assessment
Recent dissertations supervised by the teacher.
First cycle degree programmes dissertations
- Analisi del livello di informatizzazione delle strutture ospedaliere private nella regione Lazio
- Analisi delle modalità di termoregolazione nei sistemi di perfusione ex-vivo degli organi addominali - reni e fegato - destinati al trapianto.
- Cardiotocografia: dispositivi ed interpretazione dei segnali
- Dispositivi impiantabili per il pacing cardiaco: dai dispositivi elettronici al Biopacemaker
- Health Technology Management in contesti a risorse limitate: il progetto Global South presso il St. Luke Catholic Hospital di Wolisso
- Modulazione della contrattilità cardiaca, una tecnica innovativa per il trattamento dell’insufficienza cardiaca
- protesi acustiche: storia ed evoluzione
- Riparazione in vivo della conduzione elettrica nel tessuto specifico miocardico: stato dell'arte e prospettive future
- Tecnologie utilizzate per la terapia dell'infezione da COVID-19
- Una tecnica innovativa per il trattamento della fibrillazione atriale: ablazione non termica mediante elettroporazione
Second cycle degree programmes dissertations
- "MDR Compliance in the Production of Customized Phantoms through 3D Printing: Drafting of the Operating Procedure and Illustrative Clinical Case"
- A new mechanism to deform Red Blood Cells
- A novel formulation for the small-conductance calcium-activated potassium current for a computational model of the action potential for the cardiac pacemaker cell
- Computational analysis of virtual ablation or fast conduction pathways insertion in a 2-dimensional atrial tissue
- Computational and experimental study of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy modelled in iPSC-CMs
- Computational modelling of the intrinsic clock that rules the diurnal variation of cardiac ion channels
- Computational Study of the Role of Funny
Current in Atrioventricular Conduction by Multiscale Mouse Heart Models
- Detection of electrical drivers during atrial fibrillation through automatic processing of intracardiac electrograms acquired with Cartofinder©
- Development and testing of a digital health assistant for pediatric asthma patients
- Implementation and validation of a multiparametric and multivendor score for the prediction of heart failure events in patients with remotely monitored implanted devices
- Implementation of the effects of hypertension in a patient-level model of atrial fibrillation
- Monitoraggio e Sviluppo di un sistema di Health Technology Management in contesti poveri di risorse: il caso dell'ospedale St. Luke Hospital, Wolisso
- Regulation of calcium and potassium currents reduces the arrhythmic risk in cardiac cells: a computational study with BPS and ToR-ORd models
- Rilevazione del segnale ecografico in un registratore medicale tramite algoritmi di video editing
- Simulazione su GPU dell'origine e propagazione dell'attività elettrica cardiaca
PhD programmes thesis
- Computational modeling of human atrial cardiomyocytes: integration of electro-mechanical & mechano-electric feedback pathways
- Multi-organ support device for combined extracorporeal carbon dioxide removal and hemofiltration treatments with pump-free solution for ultrafiltration
