Uneven blood flow in the heart and how coronary sinus occlusion might help
Official title: Mechanisms of coronary flow heterogeneity: Implications for coronary sinus occlusion therapy
Funded at California Medical Innovations Institute · NIH-11118877 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Researchers are building detailed 3D heart models to understand why some heart areas get less blood and how coronary sinus occlusion methods might improve blood flow for people with coronary heart disease.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | California Medical Innovations Institute NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (San Diego, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $681,054 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HL160997-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11118877 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with coronary artery disease or regional myocardial ischemia who are being considered for or interested in coronary sinus occlusion approaches would be most relevant to this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without coronary artery disease, those with non-ischemic heart conditions, or patients needing immediate lifesaving treatment are unlikely to directly benefit from this modeling-focused grant.
What this research studies
If I have coronary heart disease, this project will create anatomically accurate 3D computer models of the beating heart to show how blood is distributed across different regions. The models will include interactions between heart muscle and blood vessels and how vessels respond to low oxygen. The team will use high-performance computing to simulate therapies like pulsatile intermittent coronary sinus occlusion and selective retroperfusion to see how they change flow. They will compare the model results to real measurements so the findings reflect actual heart behavior.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help doctors better target or improve coronary sinus occlusion therapies to restore blood flow and reduce ischemia in people with coronary artery disease.
How similar studies have gone: Some animal experiments and small human studies of coronary sinus occlusion/PICSO have shown possible benefits, but clinical evidence remains limited and the detailed 3D modeling approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
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California Medical Innovations Institute
San Diego, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kassab, Ghassan S — California Medical Innovations Institute
- Study coordinator: Kassab, Ghassan S
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.