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Collaborative Research: Understanding Ablation Through Accurate Integration of Models and in Vivo Experimental Data
NSF
About This Grant
Many types of disease can be treated with ablation, a medical procedure which applies energy to destroy small regions of tissue that do not behave normally. Ablation therapy can be used to treat conditions like arthritis, uterine fibroids, and cancer. It can also treat disruptions of the heart’s regular rhythm, such as atrial fibrillation. Ablation procedures can be difficult to perform, and sometimes multiple treatments may be necessary. A deeper understanding of exactly how the settings associated with the ablation procedure affect the biological tissue could lead to better results. This project aims to improve the understanding of radiofrequency ablation’s interactions with heart tissue through a combination of theory, multi-physics and machine-learning models, and experiments. To ensure the experiments reflect the differences in tissue structures and properties of real patients, tissue from human hearts no longer needed after being replaced by transplants will be used when possible. Medical doctors will help assess the practical significance of the project’s results. This study has the potential to lead to improved ablation treatments and patient outcomes, and the new methodology can be extended, with minor adaptations, to other types of diseases. Educational components include training of graduate and undergraduate students, contributions to undergraduate and graduate courses, and engagement of the general public with interactive programs available through a website. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA), used for a wide variety of physiological systems, faces limitations from an imprecise understanding of ablation and tissue interactions, along with challenges in optimizing the procedure given the many parameters associated with ablation and patient variability. This project aims to develop and validate a detailed multi-physics mathematical RFA model with an unprecedented level of accuracy and analysis. It will focus on cardiac tissue, but the tools can be adapted for other biological tissues and ablation therapies. First, the novel computational model will include advanced methods of domain decomposition and model reduction to address the multi-physics nature of the problem and will incorporate important physiological parameters of ablation-tissue interactions. Second, the model will be enhanced by rigorously integrating the sizes, thicknesses and thermal profiles of ablation lesions in cardiac tissue from varying thermal doses, contact angles, and pressures and by comparing with experiments. This project will be enhanced by using optical-mapping methods during ablation in live hearts, including live human explanted hearts from patients undergoing heart transplants, to simultaneously quantify the extent and sensitivity of the ablation at different tissue depths in real time as a function of ablation parameters. This information will enable continuous refinement of the computational model and accurate sensitivity analysis. Finally, simulations and experiments will be integrated to assess how ablation lesions will effectively terminate disorganized electrical wave propagation during fibrillation. The mechanistic RFA model will provide highly accurate predictions of ablation parameter effects on the success rate of terminating cardiac fibrillation. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
Grant Summary
Collaborative Research: Understanding Ablation Through Accurate Integration of Models and in Vivo Experimental Data is a NSF grant providing up to $200K for university, nonprofit, small business. Applications are due 2028-08-31 (open). Check eligibility and apply with FindGrants.
Focus Areas
Eligibility
How to Apply
Up to $200K
2028-08-31
- 1Confirm your organization is eligible for Collaborative Research: Understanding Ablation Through Accurate Integration of Models and in Vivo Experimental Data from NSF, checking organization type, location, and any population or project requirements.
- 2Gather the required documents and information, including your organization details, project plan, and budget figures.
- 3Draft your application narrative and budget addressing the funder's priorities and review criteria. FindGrants can draft each section for you to review and edit.
- 4Review every section against the requirements checklist, then export a submission-ready application pack and submit it to NSF before the deadline.
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Collaborative Research: Understanding Ablation Through Accurate Integration of Models and in Vivo Experimental Data: Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible for the Collaborative Research: Understanding Ablation Through Accurate Integration of Models and in Vivo Experimental Data?
Collaborative Research: Understanding Ablation Through Accurate Integration of Models and in Vivo Experimental Data is offered by NSF and is generally open to university, nonprofit, small business. It is open to organizations nationwide unless the funder specifies otherwise. Review the specific eligibility terms before applying, since funders set their own requirements around organization type, location, and the population or project being served.
How much funding does the Collaborative Research: Understanding Ablation Through Accurate Integration of Models and in Vivo Experimental Data provide?
Collaborative Research: Understanding Ablation Through Accurate Integration of Models and in Vivo Experimental Data provides up to $200K per award from NSF. Actual award sizes depend on the scope of your project, available program funds, and the number of applicants, so build a budget that reflects realistic, allowable costs rather than the maximum figure.
When is the Collaborative Research: Understanding Ablation Through Accurate Integration of Models and in Vivo Experimental Data deadline?
Applications for Collaborative Research: Understanding Ablation Through Accurate Integration of Models and in Vivo Experimental Data are due 2028-08-31 (open). Because deadlines can change, verify the date with the funder, NSF, and give yourself enough time to prepare a complete, competitive application before the close date.
How do you apply for the Collaborative Research: Understanding Ablation Through Accurate Integration of Models and in Vivo Experimental Data?
To apply for Collaborative Research: Understanding Ablation Through Accurate Integration of Models and in Vivo Experimental Data, confirm your eligibility, gather the required documents, and prepare a narrative and budget that address the funder's priorities. FindGrants guides you step by step and can draft each section, then exports a submission-ready application pack for this grant from NSF.