Simulation of Cardiac Tissue Development
Jan Christoph, Professor
UC San Francisco
Applications for Fall 2024 are closed for this project.
Our group studies the heart from a complex biological system's perspective und we use computer simulations to study cardiac dynamics during disease and development. In the heart, electrical excitation propagates from cell to cell through ion channels and triggers mechanical contraction and deformation in each cell. This leads to waves of electrical excitation which cause wave-like deformations via the so-called excitation-contraction coupling mechanism. On the other hand, mechano-sensitive ion channels influence the excitation depending on mechanical stretch of cells, which permits feedback from mechanics to the electrical excitation and back to mechanics. This complicated interplay influences the normal heartbeat, the maintenance of arrhythmias, and tissue development.
Role: The goal of this project is to explore and develop mathematical and computational models of cardiac tissue development taking into account electrophysiological and mechanical interactions as well as feedback phenomena on the cellular and tissue level. In the long term, the project aims at reproducing behavior observed in imaging data of developing heart muscle tissue.
Qualifications: Applicants should have a background and interest in mathematical biology, biophysics / biological physics, or computational modeling, and eventually deep learning. Experience with at least one programming language (e.g. Python, Matlab, C/C++, etc.) is required. At least 12 hours are typically needed to make significant progress and students who can devote at least 12 hours will be given preference.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Jan Christoph
Hours: 12 or more hours
Off-Campus Research Site: Initially, the work will be performed at our institute, the Cardiovascular Research Institute on UCSF's Mission Bay Campus on 1-2 days a week. With increasing experience and independence (4+ months), the student may also work from home. It is required to participate in a 1-2h long lab meeting every 2 weeks on Thursdays between 4-6pm, join work-related discussions on Discord, as well as regular 1-on-1 meetings once per week to discuss the student's progress in person or on Zoom. Please state your availability (which weekdays work best for you) when applying.
Related website: http://cardiacvision.ucsf.edu
Engineering, Design & Technologies Biological & Health Sciences Mathematical and Physical Sciences