General Data

Project Phases

The project is organized into six work packages (WPs) that run in parallel throughout the entire project duration. 

WP1 (Methods for detection and prediction of reversible and irreversible electroporation ) is focused on developing methods for detecting and predicting areas of reversible and irreversible electroporation using artificial intelligence analysis of intracardiac electrograms (iEGM) and medical imaging data. This capability is crucial for optimizing electroporation in ventricular applications, including cardiac ablation, gene therapy, and cell therapy. (Lead: UL FRI, Partners: UL MF, UL FE, UKC, IJS)

WP2 (Personalized treatment of ventricular cardiac arrhythmias) aims to develop personalized treatment protocols for ventricular tachycardias through “digital twin” technology that integrates medical imaging (CT and MRI), electro-anatomical mapping, and numerical modelling of electric field distribution. (Lead: UL MF, Partners: UKC, UL FE, IJS)

WP3 (Non-viral gene therapy for cardiac muscle regeneration) is focused on developing nonviral cardiac gene therapy using reversible electroporation for cardiac muscle regeneration, overcoming limitations of viral nucleic acid delivery methods to enable new treatments for ischemic heart disease. (Lead: UL FE, Partners: UL MF, OI, UKC)

WP4 (Personalized treatment of heart failure with cell therapy) aims to develop personalized approaches to cardiac muscle regeneration combining CD34+ cell therapy with reversible electroporation to improve cell retention and therapeutic efficacy in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy. (Lead: UL FE, Partners: UKC, UL MF)

WP5 (Large animal laboratory for the development of treatments for cardiac arrhythmias and heart muscle diseases) is devoted to establishing Slovenia’s first large animal facility for preclinical cardiac electroporation research, enabling development and validation of procedures for treating ventricular arrhythmias and cardiac regeneration. (Lead: UL VF, Partners: UL MF, UKC, UL FE)

WP6 (Project Management) centers on project management, exploitation and dissemination of results, and identification and protection of intellectual property. (Lead: UL FE, Partners: UL MF, UL FRI, UL VF, UKC, IJS, and OI)

Project Description

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death, accounting for one third of all deaths in the EU (Eurostat data for 2022) and representing a growing healthcare and societal burden. The CardioEP project connects research groups from four faculties of the University of Ljubljana, the University Medical Centre Ljubljana, the Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, and the Jožef Stefan Institute, to develop new methods for treating cardiac diseases based on electroporation. The project is focused on developing new methods for treating cardiac diseases based on electroporation. The collaboration of experts from various fields and an interdisciplinary approach will enable us to utilize state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, advanced medical imaging methods, and numerical modelling, allowing us to control the complex effects of electroporation in cardiac tissue. We will establish a so-called digital twin platform for precise and patient-tailored treatment of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias. Among the first in the world, we will develop methods for cardiac tissue regeneration using electroporation in two ways: through nonviral delivery of therapeutic genetic material into diseased cardiomyocytes for treating ischemic heart disease, and by improving the efficacy of stem cell therapy in heart failure. Within the project, we will establish a Slovenian center for electrophysiological research, making the University of Ljubljana and its partners one of the world’s leading centers for treating cardiac diseases using electroporation.

Project group members on UL VF

• Prof. dr. Nataša Tozon Mask
• Prof. dr. Alenka Seliškar
• Prof. dr. Marina Štukelj
• Doc. dr. Katerina Tomsič
• Doc. dr. Barbara Lukanc
• Asist. dr. Martina Krofič Žel
• Asist. dr. Matic Pavlica
• Asist. razisk. Eva Nadlučnik
• Asist. razisk. Mihaela Klasić

Link to the website of the project leader.