CardioEP – Experimental and clinical cardiac (electro)physiology, and electroporation-based cell and gene therapy (2025-2030)

University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering

Damijan Miklavčič

UL Faculty of Electrical Engineering
UL Faculty of Medicine
UL Veterinary Faculty
UL Faculty of Computer and Information Science
University Medical Centre Ljubljana
Institute of Oncology Ljubljana
Jožef Stefan Institute

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.

The project is organized into 6 work packages (WPs) that run in parallel throughout the project duration. WP1 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. WP2 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. WP3 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. WP4 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. WP5 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. WP6 centers on project management, exploitation and dissemination of results, and identification and protection of intellectual property.

List of Publications is available from our Publications page.