Dr Matthijs Cluitmans (Dept of Cardiology) is awarded a prestigious Vidi grant from NWO for the project 'Predicting sudden cardiac death’.

Every year, thousands of people in the Netherlands die suddenly from dangerous heart rhythm disorders after a heart attack. Doctors currently struggle to predict this risk. Matthijs will use detailed heart scans to investigate how scar tissue and disrupted electrical signals together cause cardiac arrest. In his project, researchers will build digital copies of the heart in which artificial intelligence rapidly tests millions of scenarios, uncovering patterns that previously remained hidden. The goal is to create a personal risk profile for each patient, so that doctors can deploy life-saving treatments for exactly the right individuals.

NWO has granted a maximum of 850.000 euros to 109 scientists from the domain Science (ENW), Applied and Engineering Sciences (AES) and Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) domains, as well as Health, Research and Development (ZonMw). With the help of the Vidi grant, the talented scientists can start their own line of research and further develop their talent