Towards the goal of personalized therapy for every patient, a research plan must be established that supports four key phases of research; target learning, software development, feasibility and validation testing, and clinical trials.

Target learning is the exploration of the catalysts of disease- where we learn targets for delivering care, such as the locations or sizes of scarring that lead to development of arrhythmias. Currently, the most effective pathway to that end is to image and followup with a large number of patients, observing outcomes.

Software development is the critical stage where we develop tools to analyze and convert images into “roadmaps” that display the targets. This involves a team of engineers that work with high-powered computing to create innovative solutions to our challenges.

Feasibility and validation testing is making use of artificial or animal models to test how well our software identifies the targets. This stage will help to refine the software, increasing its accuracy and effectiveness.

Finally, Clinical Trials are required to ultimately prove the efficacy of the technology. Given the number of patients required to accurately develop a trial, these are typically large and conducted at many sites within or beyond Canada. To coordinate and conduct these four tiers of research, a dedicated facility where each team can interact seamlessly with the other, is required.