Map heart tissue to guide VT ablation with AI help
Official title: Functional Substrate-Only Mapping Technique to Guide Ablation of Arrhythmogenic Substrate Underlying Ventricular Tachycardia
Funded at VA San Diego Healthcare System · NIH-11591769 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A patient-oriented project aims to use AI-based mapping to better identify abnormal heart tissue responsible for ventricular tachycardia and guide safer, faster ablation.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA San Diego Healthcare System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project start | October 1, 2025 |
| Project end | September 30, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01CX002802-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11591769 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Patients with ventricular tachycardia who are candidates for catheter ablation and are being evaluated for AI-guided mapping approaches.
✕Less likely to help
Patients whose VT is not due to abnormal substrate or who are not undergoing ablation may not benefit.
What this research studies
This project looks at using advanced mapping techniques to pinpoint the heart tissue that drives dangerous ventricular tachycardia (VT). By applying AI-driven analysis, researchers hope to reduce the time and risks of catheter ablation, which currently relies on mapping while VT is occurring — an often difficult and lengthy process. If successful, the approach could help tailor ablation to the patient’s unique heart tissue patterns and potentially reduce ICD shocks.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could make VT ablation safer and more effective, possibly lowering the need for prolonged procedures and reducing shocks.
How similar studies have gone: Prior mapping methods are standard of care; AI-guided substrate mapping is a promising but still developing approach.
Where this research is happening
-
VA San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Ho, Gordon — VA San Diego Healthcare System
- Study coordinator: Ho, Gordon
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Proton SBRT for refractory ventricular tachycardia with real-time 3D/4D imaging
A patient-facing study exploring a proton-based, noninvasive radiation therapy to treat stubborn VT using advanced 3D and 4D imaging to target the heart safely.
-
Venous ethanol ablation to treat ischemic VT (VE-VT)
A new treatment approach uses ethanol delivered through heart veins to help stop dangerous heart rhythms in patients with previous heart damage.
-
Novel gene therapy tools to prevent dangerous heart rhythms
A small grant supports testing gene-therapy methods to stop ventricular tachycardia after a heart attack, with the goal of helping people at risk of sudden heart rhythm problems.
-
Radiation-guided ablation for ventricular tachycardia
This project tests a noninvasive radiation approach to ablate heart tissue in people with dangerous ventricular tachycardia to reduce the need for invasive procedures.
-
Low-Field MRI–Guided Robotic Catheter System for VT Ablation
A research project is testing a new low-field MRI–guided robotic catheter to improve treatment of ventricular tachycardia for patients with abnormal heart structure.
-
Wideband 3D heart imaging to guide VT ablation
A new imaging approach uses 3D wideband heart scans to plan and guide ablation for ventricular tachycardia patients.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.