LIRYC – Electrophysiology and Heart Modeling Institute

LIRYC : Electrophysiology and Heart Modeling Institute (French : L'Institut de RYthmologie et Modélisation Cardiaque), is one of the six university hospital institutes, created in France in 2011 as part of the program "Investissements d'avenir" with the aim to boost medical research and innovation.

This institute, headed by Professor Michel Haissaguerre and cardiology teams of the University Hospital of Bordeaux, gathers multiple specialities around cardiac electrophysiology from research on ionic channels (microgenerators allowing electric flows in cells) to whole heart and patient care.

Institute presentation
LIRYC is a basic research, clinical and teaching centre focusing on the understanding, care, and therapeutic of cardiac electrical diseases that lead to heart failure and sudden death.

It includes national and international researchers in cardiology, imaging and signal processing/modeling, having overlapping interests and skills in cardiac bio-electricity.

Research fields
Cardiovascular disease is the first cause of mortality in the whole world accounting for 30 % of deaths, followed by infectious diseases (16,2 %) and cancers (12,6 %).

Cardiac electrical diseases are responsible for more than 700000 deaths each year in Europe.

Half of this mortality is due to progressive alteration of cardiac muscle (heart failure) which a part is favored by cardiac electrical diseases (atrial arrhythmia, or ventricular dyssynchrony)

The other half of this mortality occurs suddenly: "sudden death" essentially due to an extreme and instantly fatal cardiac runaway: ventricular fibrillation, that can be compared to an electric "tornado". (despite the fact that "cardiac arrest" is often linked to sudden death). Sudden cardiac death rate is equal to cumulative mortality of breast, lung, and colo-rectal cancers and AIDS.

LIRYC is focusing to these cardiac electrical diseases responsible for mortality or severe disability (embolic stroke). It's based on a multidisciplinary approach combining several fields such as: high resolution mapping, cardiac imaging, and signal processing/ cardiac modeling.

Partnership
Academic partners include teams from research institutions such as INSERM, CNRS, INRIA, University of Bordeaux, and University Hospital of Bordeaux, associated with industrial partners.

Facilities
Research teams currently work at Technological Platform for Biomedical Innovation (French : Plateforme technologique d’innovation biomédicale - PTIB), at Xavier Arnozan Hospital site in Pessac.

By 2014, a structure of 6000 m² will be built, in extension of the existing PTIB building. It will provide a platform for medical research and innovation, combining facilities and competencies in electrophysiology (optical mapping…) interventional cardiology, cardiac imaging (high resolution MRI 9.4 Tesla), modeling and signal processing, as well as training centre for students, engineers and researchers in collaboration with the main biomedical industrials.